


By My Troth

by Aros_Sage



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Slow Burn, Warlocks still exist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-01-22 07:58:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12476944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aros_Sage/pseuds/Aros_Sage
Summary: Twenty years ago, King Valentine Morgenstern laid siege to the Kingdom of Alicante. He captured the royal family, the Crown Prince pronounced dead. Everyone in Alicante live in fear, afraid that one hair out of line would mean the end of life. Warlocks are hunted for sport so those who are left have gone into hiding.Two brothers go on a quest to save a Princess, uncovering secrets of their past and meeting with Fate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m still working on The Collecter, of course, but this idea has been bouncing around in my head for a while now so I had to start it! I love Medieval AUs! 
> 
> More tags will be added as I go!

The Kingdom of Alicante was in darkness as it slept peacefully. A full moon casted silvery shadows in the streets and on the buildings. Winter was around the corner, crispness in the air. Everyone in the Kingdom went to bed that night, unbeknownst to them that a nefarious plan had been in the workings for several months now. 

A loud rumble sounded throughout the city, startling many in their sleep. It sounded like something had been blown up. The surrounding area shook. At first, many thought maybe there was an earthquake. The city tended to have them every now and then, though none had ever been too severe; at least not in the last 100 years. 

Two small boys jolted at the loud sounds. They rubbed their bleary eyes as they sat up, looking at each other in the dark. Another loud sound erupted close by, causing them to stand. 

“JONATHAN!” Michael Wayland shouted, opening the door to his son’s bedroom. 

“Papa?” Jonathan asked, hugging his father as he knelt down to his son. 

“I need you to be my brave boy, okay?” Michael waited for his 4 year old to nod, albeit nervously. He held him out in front of him, hands on his shoulders. “I need you and Alec to go to your hiding place. Stay hidden and quiet until I come back for you. Do you understand?” Michael asked, a wild look in his eyes. 

Jonathan nodded. “I will Papa.” 

“Promise me you’ll be quiet. Promise me you won’t come out, no matter what.” 

“I promise.” Michael hugged Jonathan to him again, kissing the top of his hair. 

“I love you Jonathan.” 

Alec stood near the bed, hands wringing in his shirt nervously as he watched the two speak, jumping when another loud thump hit what sounded like the side of the house. 

Jonathan took Alec’s hand and, following Michael, ran out of the house and through the back door. Michael ushered them out, sword in his hand. 

Yelling came nearer than expected and Jonathan paused, turning towards his father. 

“Go!” 

Without hesitating, Jonathan pulled Alec along as the two boys ran as fast as their little legs could carry them. They ran towards the stables where the horses were obviously agitated and upset by the loud noises. 

Carefully, they climbed the ladder to the upper part of the stables. Jonathan and Alec spent as much time as they could up there. They would play pretend and the area would be their fort. 

Moving to the corner behind one of the large beams, the two sat huddled together. 

“What’s happening?” Alec asked, his bottom lip trembling.

Jonathan kept his arms wrapped around his friend. “I don’t know…but Papa will keep us safe.” 

“So will father.” Alec said, his arms equally around Jonathan. 

0000

Valentine Morgenstern sat on the throne of the house Lightwood, screams filling the halls, trickling in from outside. Part of the city was on fire, looters were running amuck and most of the army was dead.

“Report.” He said as his second in command, Hodge Starkweather came into the room carrying a small bundle. 

King Robert Lightwood and Queen Maryse Lightwood were on their knees near the thrown in chains. 

“We found a maid trying to escape, carrying this.” He said, walking closer to Valentine. 

Standing, Valentine looked at the small bundle. “The Princess Isabelle? Are you certain?” 

Hodge nodded. “The maid pleaded for her life. It’s her.” 

Valentine took the baby who looked up at him with large, curious brown eyes. He reached down, Isabelle grabbing onto his index finger with her fist.

“A beautiful baby who can only grow into a beautiful woman.” He commented, looking over at the King and Queen. Their eyes bore into him, fear evident.

Valentine chuckled. “Fear not…I wouldn’t dream of killing the Crown Princess. Someday, she shall wed my son, creating a legal union between our houses.”

“If that is what you want, then leave Valentine. Let us rule in peace.” Robert argued, attempting to stand but a sword at his shoulder forced him to remain down. 

“Oh but that’s not what I want. The Lightwood family has ruled Alicante for too long. It’s time for the Morgenstern’s to take control.”

Isabelle’s face started to get red and she began to pout. Valentine bounced her gently in his arms, smiling down at her. “Don’t fret little one…you’ll be just fine. Starkweather, take her to my wife.” He handed the baby over to Hodge who then left the room in search of Jocelyn. 

Valentine knew his siege would be successful so he brought his wife and their daughter. They were safe in the King and Queen’s quarters. Queen Jocelyn feared her husband but she didn’t dare challenge him. Valentine used to be a good man when he was a Prince but once his father passed on, power and control changed him. He craved more power, more than their Kingdom had to give. 

Valentine walked over towards the couple, crouching down. “Where is your son? The castle has been searched but he’s no where to be seen.” He grabbed Robert roughly by the chin, jerking his face forward to look at him. 

“He’s just a boy…not much older than yours.” Robert answered him. 

Valentine sighed. “I can’t have the heir to the throne alive. Your daughter will serve me well when the time comes but your son hinders those plans.”

“Please Valentine…just let him be.” Maryse begged, tears streaming down her face. 

Valentine turned, addressing his followers who were in the room. “Find the Crown Prince, Alexander Lightwood. He’s a child of 4 years. Surely he hasn’t duped you all.”

0000

“Jace…I wanna go home.” Alec whispered, as the two remained huddled in the stables. 

“Papa said we have to stay.” Jace countered, trusting his father. 

“But I need to protect Issy…” He complained, worried for his baby sister. She was probably scared and Alec wanted to be there for her. Whenever his baby sister started to cry, all Alec had to do was hold her and she’d stop. 

“I bet she’s safe.” Jace said, trying to make his friend feel better.

They sat there for a while longer, both fighting the urge of their curiosities. They wanted to see what was going on but they made a promise to stay.

“It’s hot in here.” Alec complained, shifting a little to readjust the way he was sitting.

Jace nodded, sweat covering his back. It had been getting progressively hotter where they were hiding. 

A loud crackling sound caused both boys to jump. They scurried over towards the ledge, both gasping. The horses were loud, some of them fighting against their gates keeping them in. Orange and red danced around the ground, the hay burning up quickly. The stables were on fire. 

“How do we get out?” Alec asked as they moved closer to their ladder. 

“We need to get down…fast.” Jace said, grabbing the ladder. Before he could step onto it, they both gasped as the bottom of the ladder broke, inflamed. A large black cloud of smoke billowed up, causing both of them to go into coughing fits. 

Both of them scrambled back, huddling once more in their hiding spot. Their eyes watered from the smoke and they coughed, struggling to breathe. 

A flash of blue blinded their already sensitive eyes, both of them covering their faces with their arms. 

“Alexander…Jonathan…thank the Gods you’re here.” A familiar voice said as the person got closer. 

“Rina…what’s happening?” Alec asked, the first to recover, noticing it was the Royal Family’s Healer. 

“I’ll explain it to you later but we must leave.” She said, reaching down to help the two onto their feet. 

“What about Papa?” Jace asked, looking wildly around. 

“What about mother and father and Issy?” Alec asked at the same time. 

“We don’t have time. They’re okay but we must go. Alexander, I swore I’d always protect you. The time is now to do so.” She said sternly, leaving them with no room to argue. 

“What about the horses?” Jace asked nervously, glancing over where the flames were growing. 

Catarina walked over towards the ledge. She waved her arms around and the two young boys gasped, watching as blue swirls moved from her hands and down to the lower level. The gates keeping the horses in opened all at once. The horses ran out of the door which also opened. 

“I’ll explain everything to you someday, but we must go now. Do you trust me?” Catarina asked the two boys, holding her hand out. 

Alec chewed on his lip but nodded. He reached up, taking her hand. He looked over at Jace who looked uncertain. 

“Jace, you’re family too. Please, take Alec’s other hand and don’t let go.” Jace, after another minute nodded, doing as he was told. 

Catarina created a portal, stepping quickly through with the two boys. 

0000

The morning came quickly, most of the fires that had been started in the night dying to dull embers. 

Valentine was much more agitated as he marched outside of the castle. 

“Where is he?!” He shouted angrily. So far, the Crown Prince hadn’t shown up. He was about to reprimand the nearest soldier when someone called his name in the distance. 

Hodge came forward dragging a man with him. He threw the man to the ground who didn’t do much to prevent the fall. 

“And who is this?” 

“Michael Wayland…he does maintenance around the castle and tends to the stables.”

“And why do I care?” Valentine asked, obviously annoyed. 

“We found him putting out the last of a fire in the stables.” Michael Wayland kept his eyes downcast, red rimmed from tears that had fallen. Valentine raised his brow. 

“The Crown Prince was hiding with the Wayland boy. They didn’t escape the fire.” Hodge informed Valentine who began smiling. 

“Are you certain?” 

Hodge nodded. “Before killing a loyalist…they admitted that the Crown Prince often spent time with Wayland’s son. It’s plausible that he was with him the entire night and took to hiding in the stables when we began our siege. The stable was hit.” Hodge reached for his satchel, taking it off and handing it to Valentine. Valentine opened it, surprise on his face. He reached in, pulling out a bone. 

“We found what we are certain as children’s bones. There wasn’t much but we collected what was left.” He stepped back. 

Valentine looked down at Michael Wayland. “You hid your son in the place that would be his grave. Shame. Take him to the dungeons.” Michael didn’t put up a fight as he was lifted off of the ground. 

“Let’s deliver the news, shall we?” Valentine laughed, turning to head into the castle. 

0000

Twenty years later, Alexander Loss woke up abruptly, heart hammering against his chest, body drenched in a cold sweat. He sat up, running a hand through his hair. He looked over at the other occupied bed, his brother sleeping soundly. Alec dreamt of fire and smoke consuming every sense.


	2. Chapter 2

Alec and Jace always loved Sundays. Sundays gave them a chance to venture into the nearest town to attend the market. It was always crowded, merchants selling various items and foods and music playing. There was almost always a performer nearby, giving the market a party feeling. 

Catarina’s cottage where they lived was tucked away in a remote location. It usually took them several hours on foot to make it to the nearest town. If they could take the horse, it would cut down the time by more than half but that meant only one of them could go. 

They lived a humble, quiet life, the three of them. Catarina was a healer and would make potions and remedies for her clients. She was usually gone for a good portion during the days, meeting with said clients and collecting payment. 

Once they were old enough, Alec and Jace never complained about picking up ingredients and food for the week. When they were smaller, it was hard to carry everything back but now, fully grown, they had no trouble doing it. They actually claimed that carrying everything back helped define their muscles. 

Catarina’s only rule was that they had to be back before dark. She didn’t want them getting lost or robbed in the cover of night. There were looters hidden in and around most towns and since they lived in a secluded area, they had to pass by some sketchy areas. 

Over the recent years, Alec and Jace have made a couple friends with some of the locals in town. Lydia Branwell and Maia Roberts were two friends who grew and sold herbs. Alec and Jace had met them while purchasing almost their entire stock years ago. They hit it off and made a point to eat lunch together every week before Alec and Jace had to head back home. 

After getting everything they needed, Alec and Jace helped the ladies take down their booth, drop off everything at their home and then headed towards the small lake nearby. Since Alec and Jace had a far walk to make, the girls always packed the lunch while the guys purchased wine. 

They talked about nothing of importance through their meal, the four of them spread out on two blankets. After the wine was drank to completion. Jace and Maia went for a walk around the lake. 

Alec laid back, resting his head on his arms, stretching out his body. Lydia readjusted, laying her head on his shoulder, her fingers tracking random patterns on his chest. 

“Do you think they’ll ever admit to us that they’re doing more than just going on a walk?” Lydia asked with a chuckle. 

Alec opened his eyes, looking around and not seeing his brother anywhere. “I let Jace think he’s slick. I’d hate to embarrass him.” 

Lydia smirked, leaning up to look at Alec. She leaned down, kissing him on his lips. She could taste the sweet wine they were drinking. 

Alec turned his head to the side, looking at her curiously. Lydia had a welcoming smile on her face as she continued to gaze down into his face. “What is it?” 

“You’ll think it silly.” She admitted though she made no move to lay back down.

“I won’t.” 

Lydia sighed, a look flashing across her face of uncertainty. He had a feeling whatever it was she wanted to say wasn’t going to be funny. It made him a little nervous if he were to be honest with himself. 

“It’s just…” She gave him another look, one that he was unsure how to describe. “I wish you looked at me the way a man is supposed to look at a woman, that’s all.” 

Alec didn’t expect that. His eyes grew as he started to sit up a little, causing Lydia to move so she was sitting up. “I…I don’t know what you…mean…” He began, stumbling over anything he was attempting to say. 

“Hey…” She said, placing her hand on his cheek. “It’s okay. I’m not offended. I’ve known for a while.” 

Alec felt his face burn, fear beginning to creep up into his soul. 

“I don’t mean to upset you. I remember the way you looked at the butcher’s son before he moved to join the guard…it’s okay, Alec. There are many Kingdoms that have no prejudice against a man loving another man, surely you’ve heard of them.” Lydia was being so kind to him and Alec appreciated it except he didn’t expect this conversation to unfold. To be honest, Alec never intended to ever have this conversation with anyone, ever.

I…I don’t…I can’t…it’s not…” Alec frowned, running his hands nervously through his hair. 

Lydia placed both her hands on either side of Alec’s face. “It’s okay…I’m just lucky I’ve been able to kiss you so many times and that you’ve obliged me.” She smiled warmly causing Alec to smile too.

“I’m sorry. You’re a lovely woman Lydia and…if I was different…then maybe I could give you more.” Alec said, his voice tight but oddly enough, he felt a little lighter at the same time. 

“I wouldn’t want you any different. I love you the way you are Alec. I just hope I don’t make you uncomfortable.” 

Alec frowned at that part. Leaning forward, Alec kissed her gently. Opening his eyes, he smiled at her. “You could never make me uncomfortable. I like kissing you.” And it was true. Her lips were soft; her kisses were gentle. She had been the first and only person he’d ever kissed. He supposed he couldn’t compare it to anything else but he knew it was good. He had known, even before they met, that he wasn’t attracted to women even though for a while he wished he could be. He had tried but in the end, he knew nothing was going to change. Lydia was beautiful and sweet and one of his best friends, but that was all there was between them. 

Lydia smiled at him, pushing him back. He scooted back so his back rested against the large tree behind him, Lydia curling against his side. 

“How did you get your scar?” She asked randomly, playing with his hand with her fingers.

“Hm?” Alec asked, having zoned out a little, coming out of the shock that Lydia figured out his biggest secret. 

“Your scar…how’d you get it?” She asked again, turning and poking him in the eyebrow. 

Alec made a face as he tried to remember how he’d gotten it. “I’m not sure...I” But Alec paused as what he assumed was a memory assaulted his mind.

_Alec and Jace were running around the castle, playing Knights. They would take turns, one was the Knight and the other was a monster. The monster would hide somewhere and the brave Knight would find him and slay him._

__

__

_Even though they were banned to enter the room, Alec carefully crept into the Armory. Weapons decorated the walls in all sorts of shapes and sizes. There were exotic weapons delicately placed on tables._

__

__

_The room always mesmerized Alec. He wanted to touch them but he knew he wasn’t allowed to do that._

__

__

_Hearing giggling, Alec jumped, knowing Jace knew where he went to hide. Jace was always really good at finding Alec._

__

__

_Alec ran over to his father’s desk, crawling underneath it. He held his breath, hands covering his mouth, as he heard the door open._

__

__

_“I, Jace Wayland, protector of this land, will slay you, demon!” Jace said triumphantly as he ran around the room, quickly checking every possible hiding spot. When he got to the desk, he climbed quietly on top of it._

__

__

_“Gotcha!” Jace yelled as he leaned down, only his head showing as he glanced at Alec. Alec screamed in surprise before scrambling out._

__

__

_“You won’t get me next time, Sir Jace!” Alec said as he backed up and away from him._

__

__

_“Alec! Careful!” Jace gasped as he attempted to get off of the table. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quick enough._

__

__

_Alec backed into a large knight of armor standing in the corner. He bumped into it so hard and everything happened so fast, he didn’t realize what had happened. The only thing he knew was that he couldn’t see out of one eye and he was crying and crouched on the floor._

__

__

_Jace helped heave him up onto his feet and out of the room. They didn’t make it far before a guard heard Alec’s cries. He picked him up and with Jace running after him, dashed towards their healer._

__

__

_“What happened?” Catarina asked as Alec wailed into her chest._

__

__

_Jace explained what they had been doing. “And…and then the sword came slashing down and hit his face. Is he gonna be okay?” Jace asked, his eyes watering but his voice surprisingly steady for a toddler._

__

__

_“Yes…he’ll be okay. Look up at me Alexander.” Catarina cooed, extricating herself from Alec’s grip._

__

__

_Grabbing a wet towel, she carefully wiped the blood off of his face. “A head wound makes a big mess but it’s not as bad as it looks.” She explained, knowing that they were too young to really understand. “Let’s clean you up.”_

__

__

_Catarina gave Alec a piece of candy, telling him it would help with the pain and it was true. Almost immediately, he didn’t feel the pain anymore. She cleaned his face and hands completely. Alec reached up when she was done, feeling something sticky over his eyebrow._

__

__

_“Ah ah...don’t touch it.” She instructed him, taking his hands and bringing them to his lap. “If we’re lucky, you won’t have a huge scar.”_

__

__

_Alec’s lip trembled._

__

__

_“What is it Sweetheart?”_

__

__

_“Father will be angry.” Alec said, looking at Jace who still looked a little freaked out._

__

__

_“He might be a little upset that you went into his room but he’ll be happy that you’re okay. He loves you more than anything. You should tell him the truth.” Catarina said gently and Alec eventually nodded his head._

__

__

“Earth to Alec? Are you okay?” Lydia’s face came into view and Alec jolted, groaning as he brought up a hand, rubbing at his temple.

“What?” 

“I asked if you were okay. You spaced out completely on me.” She looked worried and Alec felt guilty.

“I’m fine…sorry. I’ve been having headaches lately.” It wasn’t a complete lie. He had been suffering from headaches pretty often and didn’t know why. He would get random flashes of images but he couldn’t recall all of them. Some of them felt like they made sense while others were confusing. 

“It’s getting late…you might want to pull Jace and Maia apart. It’s your turn.” Lydia joked, having already started putting away their picnic supplies. 

Sighing, Alec nodded. “Hopefully they’ll be clothed.” Alec stood up and began to walk in the direction their friends had gone with Jace and Maia reappeared in front of him, hand in hand. 

Alec gave Jace a knowing look and Jace just smirked at him. “You have no faith in me.” He tutted, patting Alec on his shoulder as they walked back to Lydia. 

“It wouldn’t be the first time we made it home later than we promised.” Alec pointed out, bending down and picking up the blanket, folding it. 

“We’re not little teenagers anymore Alec, I’m sure we could handle a couple bandits if need be.” 

“It’s not about the bandits, it’s about worrying Cat.” 

“Touché. Ladies…it’s been a pleasure, as usual.” He said, his eyes glancing over at Maia who grinned, rolling her eyes fondly. 

“Catarina is going to need extra sage next week….will that be doable?” Alec asked as he pulled his satchel over his shoulder. 

Lydia nodded. “If we’re short, we have a friend who also has it. We’ll have what she needs.” 

Alec smiled, giving her a hug as Jace said goodbye to Maia. “Thank you.” He said, his words meaning more than just the order they needed to fill. 

“You’re welcome.” Lydia smiled back, kissing him on his cheek. 

Alec and Jace made their way back home, talking nonsense mostly. 

“Are you serious with Maia?” Alec asked curiously. 

Jace was quiet for a few minutes, clearly contemplating his question. “She’s great. She’s not like the other girls. She’s not afraid to speak her mind.” He admitted. “But…I don’t want to stay here forever. I don’t want to lead her on. She knows we’re just having fun and she seems okay with that.” 

It wasn’t the first time Jace talked about wanting to leave. He was a natural explorer and wanted to see the world. Alec would follow Jace to the end of the world but he felt guilt at the thought of leaving Catarina by herself. They needed to take care of her.

Explorers of the sea had come into town years ago and both boys were enthralled in their stories. They spoke of far away places, different cultures and beauties. They explained wonders of the world and unique styles. Jace and Alec could only dream of those far off lands. They were old enough to join but neither of them considered it seriously. 

“Jace…” Alec began as they walked quietly through the darkening forest. 

“Yeah?” 

“Do you remember how I got my scar?” Alec asked, pointing to his brow. 

Jace glanced over at him, an eyebrow raised as his eyes looked above Alec’s, staring at his brow that held the scar. 

“I’m not sure.” He finally admitted. “Why? Is it bothering you or something?” 

Alec shook his head. “No…just curious.” He looked forward as they walked on. 

Just before the sun dipped below the horizon, they walked into their home, the smell of dinner overpowering their senses. 

“Good…you boys made it this week.” Catarina teased as she placed a fresh loaf of bread on the table to cool. 

Jace and Alec placed their satchels down, beginning to remove the contents, dividing them between ingredients Catarina needed for her work and their food. Once everything was in its place, the two stepped outside to wash their hands. They finished helping Catarina prepare dinner, the three of them taking a seat to enjoy their meal. 

0000

It was Alec’s turn to wash the dishes tonight. He stood at their sink, lost in thought as he began to dry everything. Thankfully, there wasn’t many dishes remaining. He placed the forks back into their drawer, pausing to rub his temples with his hands. He had a small headache for the rest of the day and it felt like it was getting worse. He leaned down, resting his elbows on the counter. 

“Alec?” Catarina’s voice, so close to his ear, startled Alec, causing him to jump. 

“Yeah?” He asked, removing his hands from his head, resuming the drying.

“Are you in pain?” She asked, tugging on one of his biceps to turn him around.

Alec was always a bad liar, he’d never been very good at it. He had a very honest, guilty face and Catarina was so loving and so understanding that he could never do it to her.

“It’s just a headache…nothing severe.” He admitted, feeling as though it got worse by him admitting it was there. 

“How long have you had it?” She asked, already moving to her cabinet, pulling out some ingredients to make a calming tea. It was her trademark and Alec would be lying if he said he didn’t need it. 

“On and off for a couple days now.” She would probably be disappointed in him for not speaking up sooner but he thought maybe he was catching a cold or wasn’t sleeping enough. 

Catarina put on a kettle, lighting a fire to hear up the water inside. “Has anything brought on these headaches?” There was a weird tone to her voice, almost something close to fear and apprehension. 

Alec chewed on his bottom lip, not wanting to answer this question. There was a correlation between the headaches but it was so jumbled, it didn’t seem like a suitable answer. Catarina stared at him, beginning to cross her arms over her chest. 

Deflating, Alec sighed, sitting down at the table. Jace came back in at that moment, carrying firewood into the house. Jace, feeling the tension in the room, froze. “Bad time?” 

“No…it’s fine.” Alec answered almost immediately. Jace looked between them before walking over, depositing the fire wood near the fireplace. 

“I’ve been having…dreams or…visions…memories, I think. I don’t know what they are and sometimes it’s not much. Whenever it happens, my head hurts a little bit. Maybe I’m just trying to make sense of them so much that I give myself headaches.” Alec could only assume that that was the culprit, himself. He always took any puzzles and solved them or looked for patterns. 

“What happens in your dreams?” Catarina’s interest in him was confusing to Alec but he kept going, mostly because he had a feeling he wasn’t going to get out of this. 

“Again…sometimes it’s just images…nothing much. I’m little…I think. I’m inside a castle…it looks rich and lavish. It’s huge. There’s really big corridors and long halls. You’re in it sometimes and so is Jace…at least, when Jace was little.” Alec felt his face burn a little, embarrassed that Jace is there, even as a kid. “Sometimes they just…they feel so real.” He admitted, finally raising his eyes to look at her. 

Alec couldn’t read her face very well which was shocking, because he was really good at reading people normally. She looked tense and scared and angry and defeated all at once. 

“What’s wrong?” Jace had picked up on it too, coming over and having sat down across from Alec. 

Catarina ignored him for now, making them all cups of tea with herbs that smelled wonderful. After placing them down and taking a seat herself, Catarina looked smaller than they’d ever seen her. She was, of course, petite by nature and they had grown to be bigger than her, but she was still their mother. She, the adult, and them, the children. It was unnerving. 

“I knew that once you both turned 25 that it would prove to be difficult to do this anymore.” She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “Alec…you’ll be of age in a month and Jace…in three. It makes sense that it’s been happening to you more than Jace.” At this, Jace looked alarmed and had straightened in his seat more. 

“What exactly is happening to Alec? What’s going to happen to me?” Jace asked, his voice calm despite the look in his eyes. 

“I have a story to tell you both, a story I hoped I could keep you safe from forever. There was a chance that you wouldn’t begin to remember but it was slim. I see that I was right to worry.” Catarina reached for her tea, taking a small sip.

“They really are memories? They’re not made up? What are they?” Alec asked, part of him feeling relieved. 

“They’re the story of who you really are. Who you both are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! Magnus will appear eventually, I promise. If not chapter 3, definitely chapter 4.


	3. Chapter 3

Alec and Jace looked at each other, confusion matched on both their faces.

Alec was the first one to come out of his stupor. “Who we really are? What do you mean?” His heart began to beat faster, his nerves wanting to get the best of him.

Catarina’s eyes focused on her tea and her hands as they both waited for her to explain. Alec reached over, placing his hand on top of one of hers. “Please…tell us what’s bothering you. We trust you.” And it was the truth. Alec knew down to his core that he could trust her. 

When she looked up, her eyes were watering. She blinked them furiously, not wanting tears to fall. “You must understand…I did it for your own good. I thought that…if you didn’t know the whole truth, that I could keep you, both of you, safe.” 

Jace shared another look with Alec before moving a little closer in anticipation. 

“Alec…you’re Prince Alexander Lightwood. Jace, you’re Jonathan Wayland. King Valentine attacked the Kingdom 20 years ago. He searched everywhere looking for Alec to execute him. You see, he couldn’t have the rightful heir to the throne to be alive.” She looked at their faces, trying to get a read off of them. Alec paled considerably while Jace gasped softly with a sharp intake of breath. 

“The fire…” Jace said suddenly, causing Alec’s head to snap to the left to look at him. 

“You’ve dreamt of it too?” Alec asked, both of them surprising Catarina. Jace nodded. 

“Only once but it seemed so vivid.” Jace admitted. 

Catarina nodded. “You were both hiding in the stables and a fire began to overtake the stables. If I…”

Alec’s eyes grew as he sat up straight. “We…we stepped through a shimmering light.” He swallowed thickly. “Cat are you a….”

“Yes, Alec. I’m a warlock.” Alec ran his hands nervously through his hair at that. 

“Warlocks are hunted and even for sport! Cat…we can’t let them hurt you!” Jace said, his anxiety peeking along with Alec’s. 

Catarina had been afraid that they’d fear her, not that they’d be worried for her wellbeing. “My Sweet Boys, I’m safe. I rarely practice anymore. I know that those hunters you speak of have ways of tracking residual magic use. I wouldn’t dare put either of you at risk. The only magic I use, which is so little it’s not detectable, is my glamour.” 

One of Alec’s brows raised questionably. “Glamour? What’s that?” 

“It’s something we do to hide our Warlock mark. Every Warlock has some sort of physical indicator that exposes us for what we are.” She could see the curiosity on their faces as if it were stamped in writing on their foreheads. She chuckled, unsurprised they never grew out of that phase. 

Closing her eyes, she let down her glamour, hearing them suck in breaths. Admittedly, she was nervous to open her eyes; unsure she wanted to see their fear. When she did open her eyes, she was pleasantly surprised that it was just their curiosity as their eyes roamed over her exposed skin. 

“You’re…blue.” Jace said, stating the obvious. 

Catarina nodded. “Does it hurt?” Alec asked.

“My skin? No…it doesn’t hurt.”

“No I mean…doesn’t it hurt to have to hide it all the time?” 

Leave it to Alec to again, worry about her wellbeing. 

She gave him a warm smile. “It doesn’t hurt. I don’t even notice I put it up anymore.” 

“Are you going to also tell us that we’re actually descendants from Heaven here to thwart the demon spawns plans of destroying humankind?” 

Catarina’s smile faltered. “I’m not sorry for keeping the two of you alive or raising you. Despite the tragedy that brought us together, I wouldn’t trade the two of you for anything in this world.” And it was the truth. They were a light in the dark. 

“But I am sorry for keeping the truth from you for so long.” She didn’t want to admit to them that, over the years, she’d performed memory spells to make sure the memories stayed locked away. 

“Valentine is an evil, cruel ruler. There was suspicion that he poisoned King and Queen Herondale from the Southern Cities and murdered their infant son. There was never any proof and only a strange coincidence that Valentine was in the city the same time that the King’s last will was drawn up. Days later, they were dead and, per the will, Valentine was made King. The Southern Cities weren’t enough and years later, he descended upon Alicante in the middle of the night.” 

Catarina went on to explain the luck that was Alec spending the night with the stable man’s son in their home. 

“Valentine turned the city upside down looking for the young prince. It wasn’t until the morning that they discovered he’d died in a fire.” 

Alec and Jace both visibly checked their bodies for any damage. Catarina smiled at that. 

“I was just returning from a visit with a friend when I saw the fires bellowing in the city. I was able to get word that they were searching for you and I had a hunch. Luckily, I had been right. On my way to you…I saw so much death and destruction but there was no way to help anyone. Valentine’s men killed so many, so ruthlessly.” She swallowed, her eyes getting lost in a memory that was painful. 

“I saw a family, slaughtered just outside of their home. Parents and three children. I…it’s haunted me what I did that night but I had to get him off of your trail. I couldn’t let him think you escaped the night.” Alec and Jace could both tell where this was going and neither of them wanted to hear it.

“Before I found the two of you…I brought two of the children to the stables. They both had received fatal stab wounds to their chests…I knew there was no chance of saving them but…maybe their deaths wouldn’t be in vain. They could protect you, both of you.” 

Alec couldn’t imagine making that kind of choice, ever. He understood why she made it but it didn’t mean it wasn’t gruesome. 

“I’m sorry you made that choice on your own.” Jace said, this time reaching over and giving her hand a squeeze. 

“What of my…parents?” Alec asked, nervous about the answer. 

They lived several hundreds of miles away from the city and so they rarely heard about anything going on. They heard about the Southern Cities more often though nothing positive came from that one either. 

“Valentine kept them alive. I think he did it to remind them of what they’d lost. I’ve heard rumors that they’re still alive today…prisoners but alive.” Catarina had tried to stage rescue missions but Warlocks were too afraid of being caught and tortured. 

“And my father?” Jace asked, feeling suddenly unimportant. 

Catarina gave his hand, which was still on top of hers, a squeeze. “I’m not sure. I’m sorry Jace.” He figured as much. 

“Alec…that’s not all.” Alec looked at her, waiting for whatever the next blow could be. “You have a younger sister.”

Alec’s eyes grew. “The Lady Isabelle? She’s…she’s my sister?” He asked, having heard of the beautiful princess in Alicante. Everyone knew who Isabelle was. 

Catarina nodded. “She was barely a year old when Valentine attacked. She was raised alongside The Lady Clarissa by Valentine’s wife, Jocelyn. I’ve heard that Queen Jocelyn is a good woman, more or less another prisoner under Valentine’s rule.”

“Why did Valentine keep Izzy alive?’ Alec asked, startling himself. Izzy? Where had that come from.

Catarina could read his mind. “You used to call her ‘Issy’ because you were too young to say her full name yet.” Alec had a light smile on his face. He felt warmth flood through his chest. Love. “Valentine kept her alive because she was the female heir, an heir he could marry his son to. They are engaged but they have not yet wed because Jonathan Morgenstern is not yet of age to take the throne.”

“Valentine is a monster. We can’t let him get away with what he’s done.” Jace exclaimed, irritation evident in his features. 

“He would kill us the moment we stepped foot in the castle.” Catarina countered. 

“Jace is right. My sister doesn’t deserve to be used and forced into his plans. Cat…when I turn 25, I’ll be able to lay claim to the throne. There’s nothing he could do to stop me.” Alec added.

“He could impale you on his sword, both of you.” 

“Letting a tyrant like him rule isn’t right. The only reason he has Alicante is through fear tactics. Everyone loves Izzy, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s threatened her life if anyone tried a mutiny.” Alec pictured himself holding a little baby carefully in his arms, large brown eyes staring curiously up into his hazels. 

“If we make a solid plan…we could do this wisely. There’s so many whispers of groups of people who want Valentine to be overthrown. We just need to find them and make the right move.” 

“I don’t want to see you two get killed.” Catarina said softly, knowing these boys and knowing when they were determined about something, it wasn’t going to be brushed off. 

“Cat…I think in a way, we’ve always known that this quiet life we live wasn’t truly what we were meant for. I don’t…I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that I’m meant to be King someday but…if that’s who I’m meant to be, that means my people are counting on me…even if they don’t even realize it right now. We’ve heard of his laws and high taxes…it’s not right for our…my people to suffer.” 

“If there’s even the slightest chance my father is still alive, a prisoner perhaps…I want to save him.” Jace added. 

Catarina let out a long exhale. “I don’t want this but I know there’s no stopping either of you. I know the two of you know how to fight but I want you to be better, stronger, faster. I want you to learn from some friends of mine. They can teach you technique and guide you in strategy. It’ll take you at least a week to get there by foot but I can let him know you’re coming.” 

She moved so she could get closer to them. “I also need to give you something.” 

“What?” Alec asked, feeling her hand against the back of his neck, her other hand doing the same to Jace. 

“I’m going to unblock your memories. They won’t come all at once but they’ll come back to you and it won’t hurt any longer.” She said, closing her eyes, warmth spreading onto their necks, filling them with intense calmness. 

Once she was done, she stood back up, leaning down to each of them, kissing them on the tops of their heads. 

“It’s late and we’ve had a night of revelations. We’ll discuss more tomorrow morning.” 

Alec and Jace both nodded, Jace getting up and going outside. 

Catarina made to go after him but Alec stopped her. “I’ve got him. Get some rest.” She nodded, disappearing towards her bedroom.

Walking outside in the crisp air, Alec wrapped his arms over his chest, looking around. Nearby, Alec saw Jace going towards their horse, giving him an apple from his hand. 

“You spoil him, you know.” Alec remarked, standing on the other side of the horses head, petting his mane. 

“He deserves it.” Jace wouldn’t meet Alec’s eye.

“Want to tell me what’s going on?” Alec asked, not wanting to beat around the bush.

“Besides the fact that our memories have been blocked, you’re a Prince and I’m really just a stable boy? Should I go on?” 

Alec huffed. “It’s a lot to absorb. I honestly don’t know what to make of it all.” He dropped his hand. “I’m terrified, if I’m being honest.” 

Jace looked up. “If we are able to get your Kingdom back, your life is going to be great.”

Alec made a face. “Me? What about you? Where do you think you’ll be?”

“By the sound of it, I’ll be cleaning up your horses, if you’ll employ me…that is.”

Alec couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Are you really upset that you’re not the Prince in this scenario? Because I’ll happily trade you. Church always liked me more than you anyways. He’s never thrown me. Right Church?” Alec asked the horse who looked unamused, nudging Alec’s hand for a snack. 

“That’s only happened twice.” Jace reminded him, his tone reminiscent of past teasing on the subject. “No…I don’t want to be. I’m terrified for you and what this is going to mean. Everything we’ve ever known is going to change. We’re not even brothers. I think I’m an orphan.” 

Alec felt his heart twist at the last part. “Jace…we’ve always known we weren’t brothers by blood but that didn’t matter. It’s never mattered to us because we are brothers. You’re my best friend and I’d die for you if it came down to it.” Alec was serious, squaring his body so he was standing in front of Jace so he’d listen to what he was saying. 

“You’re my best friend and I would die for you too.” Jace said, a promise that they’d said to one another many times before. 

They were around 10 when Catarina explained to them what they now knew as a lie. They had physical differences and it was obvious they weren’t Catarina’s children either. When they’d finally asked her, she told them that she’d adopted them from a church who was caring for babies of parents who died from the plague. They were sharing a crib together, holding hands and Catarina couldn’t separate them. Alec and Jace had then pricked their fingers, making a blood oath that they were brothers through and through. 

Alec closed the distance between them and wrapped Jace into a hug. He felt the blonde’s arms around his back, squeezing just as tightly. 

After a minute or so, they finally let go. “Besides, if we live through this, you can be my maiden.” Alec grinned cheekily, barely avoiding the swat from Jace’s hand meant to hit his arm. 

“Come what may, we’ll figure it out together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda felt like I needed to find a spot to explain where everyone is at now, what Catarina did and what the plan is going to be. Hope it flowed okay. 
> 
> Magnus will make his appearance in the next one ;)


	4. Chapter 4

For the next three days as they prepared for their trip, Catarina tried several times to convince them to stay. She bribed them with their favorite foods, relived them of all chores and promised to get another horse; something they had always wanted. 

Although a second horse would make their journey easier, their minds were made up. Besides their Kingdom that needed their true King, Alec couldn’t stop obsessing over his family. Were his parents still alive? No one had seen them for many, many years. Was his sister, Isabelle, being tortured behind closed doors? He didn’t know and it drove him mad. 

“People have seen Izzy…she’s not locked away in a tower to starve.” Jace reminded him as they packed their bags of clothing and food rations. They had also been told of the Princess Clarissa and that she was usually with Izzy. In public, the two of them seemed fine and happy and healthy. That didn’t mean much but at least there were no visible pain on the outside. 

“I know but what if he’s hurting her behind closed doors? We’ve heard the rumors about his son, that man is cruel. I won’t let my sister be forced to wed someone that will hurt her.” Alec said, stuffing the last bit of clothing into his bag with more force. 

“Let’s go rescue the Princess.” Jace grinned, winking at him, causing Alec to roll his eyes at his brother.

Jace took a few steps out of the room before pausing, swaying into the doorframe. He closed his eyes, fighting off what felt like nausea. 

“Are you okay?” Alec asked, already knowing what was happening to him. Since Catarina had removed the block on their memories in their minds, they’d been assaulted with memories randomly. 

After a minute, Jace straightened up, nodding. “Yeah…turns out I’ve met Izzy when we were kids.” He had felt a warmth inside his chest, a feeling associated with how he felt about Jace and Catarina; the love of a family member. 

“I think you and Michael Wayland were pretty close with my family. Almost every memory that’s come back to me involves you in some way. I think we were practically inseparable.” Alec surmised that Jace was practically a brother to him. There weren’t many memories where he wasn’t around in someway. He had had a few flashes, sitting at a large table with too much food and Jace and an older man sat at the end. 

“I wonder if he’s still alive.” Jace mused, not the first time he’d said it since the turn of events the other night.

“If he is, we’ll save him. I’ll make sure he won’t have to worry about anything anymore.” Jace gave Alec a thankful smile as they headed outside of the cottage. 

Catarina was standing there, Church standing beside her. She packed provisions they may need and prepped their horse. They had decided to bring him to help them with carrying everything they would need, but not to ride. Church was a good horse, a strong one, but they didn’t want to ride him if they didn’t have to. They also reasoned that, if one of them was too tired or too weary but they needed to keep going, that person could ride him while the other walked next to him.

“There’s nothing more I can say to convince you to stay?” Catarina asked, knowing it was futile. She stopped brushing Church, stepping closer and wrapping her arms securely around Jace. Jace hugged her back just as lovingly.

“I’m afraid not. Adventure is calling.” He said, trying to lighten the mood. 

Sighing, Catarina kissed him on his cheek before moving to Alec, hugging him this time.

“We’ll be okay. I promise.” Alec said, wrapping his long arms around her. He hoped he could hold up that promise. 

When Catarina pulled away, she placed her hand gently on his cheek. “Don’t wear the weight of the world on your shoulders. You’re going to make a great King.” Alec blushed, leaning down so they could kiss each other’s cheek.

“Lucian Greymark will be waiting for you. He knows you’re coming and will let me know once you’ve arrived. He is a good man.” Catarina had explained to them the night before who they would be meeting.

Lucian used to be the hand to Valentine. They were the best of friends and Lucian had stood beside him for many, many years. He lived in the Southern Cities when Valentine and Jocelyn first moved into that city. They had hit it off immediately. It wasn’t until Valentine had, most likely, murdered the Herondales that Lucian had realized what type of man Valentine was. 

Not many believed Lucian about his accusations and then one day, he had mysteriously disappeared. Lucian was now part of an underground resistance that wanted Valentine out of power. There were resistances apparently all over Idris but trust was difficult to come by. Valentine had a team of soldiers who infiltrated these groups and slaughtered them to prevent any type of uprising. 

Lucian being alive was something of a myth. Valentine had thought he’d been killed when he’d disappeared from the Southern Cities. Luckily, anyone who was in the resistance that was asked about it, claimed they too believed Lucian was dead. That his name was something of a battle cry rather than an actual person. 

“How will you know?” Jace asked after he secured his back onto Church. 

“Have you ever heard of fire messages?” Catarina asked as she busied herself with adjusting Church’s saddle. 

“I didn’t know that was real. It always sounded like a myth.” Alec admitted. 

“They’re as real as warlocks.” She winked at him. “It’s safe…a fire message doesn’t have a residual magic mark to be tracked. He’ll let me know and he’ll show you how to do it yourself. When the time is ready for the two of you to go into the city, I will see you again.” 

Alec and Jace both looked alarmed. 

“Did you really think I would let the two of you do this on your own? I’m going to see who we have inside that can help. I may have an idea of one, another warlock, but I haven’t spoken to him in years. It’s been too dangerous to try.” She explained, hands on her hips. 

“Who?” 

“In case...in case something bad happens, I don’t want you to know something someone could force out of you.” At their alarmed faces, they looked curiously at her. “I don’t mean by regular means of…torture. If someone who supports Valentine has a warlock, they can search your mind to find answers. It’s best if you don’t know others who are part of the resistance right now.” 

Alec and Jace agreed she was right. They had plausible deniability on their side. After hugging her one more time each, they set off for Lucian’s camp. 

0000

Three days in and so far, the journey had been bland. They had sort of assumed Valentine would know about them, somehow, and they’d be attacked immediately. So far, they’d only passed a couple traveling vendors. 

Alec adjusted his quiver over his shoulder as they walked. They were nervous about running into robbers and wanted to be prepared. The last thing they needed was to be robbed or killed or both.

Jace also carried a quiver on his back, though they both knew Alec was better at the bow than Jace. Jace mostly carried it so he could easily hand it over to Alec if need be. A sword was attached to his belt and both of them had daggers hidden in one of their boots. 

Alec’s bow rested on the side of Church that he was currently walking next to, for easy access. 

“I can’t believe in all the years we lived with Catarina, we didn’t realize she was a warlock.” Jace admitted as they walked. Alec nodded though he wasn’t sure if Jace could see it. 

“I feel there were hints here and there but we just weren’t paying attention.” Pieces throughout their lives with Catarina had cycled through his memory. During bad winter storms, they managed to always have enough food even though none of them left. Jace had fallen from a tree when they were playing once and Alec had been certain his arm had broken but Catarina said he’d gotten lucky after she wrapped it. Jace had thought it had broken too but since it evidently wasn’t, he assumed the pain had just shocked him. 

“Yeah…you’re right. It’s all so bizarre. Two little cottage boys are really royalty.” Jace smirked causing Alec to join in. 

They walked along for another hour or so before slowing down, loud noises, shouting, growing closer and closer. They stopped completely, making sure Church stayed quiet. 

“Please, our garden has not been full this season, We’ve had bad weather…we have nothing to give.” It was a man’s voice, he sounded scared.

Alec and Jace moved off of the road, hiding behind several large bushes and trees. Alec tied Church to the tree nearest them. Alec and Jace shared a look as they strained to listen to the conversation.

“That sounds like a problem, don’t it?” Another man’s voice sneered, a cry from a feminine voice sounding next.

“We told you, if you can’t pay up, we take somethin’ else.” A third man’s voice chuckled.

“Not my wife…please. If you want to punish someone, do so to me. She’s pregnant…please.” The man was crying.

“You can’t give us what we want.” The first man’s voice said. 

Jace and Alec silently got closer to the commotion, hiding under cover of nature. 

The woman screamed and they knew they needed to do something. Nodding to one another, Jace stepped out into the clearing.

A man in obvious rags was kneeling on the ground, blood coming from his nose. Four men with bandanas over half of their faces were standing around the man. One of them had a hold of a woman’s forearm. Three children were cowering off to the side, terrified. 

“Leave them alone.” Jace said, startling the men who all turned to look at him. Jace had his hand on the hilt of his sword but made no move to pull it. 

The men looked at one another before laughing. “Leave us boy! This doesn’t concern you!” The man that was closest to Jace said. The large man who had a hold of the woman pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist. 

“Threatening a woman and children is my concern. I don’t believe the Lady has any interest in your filthy hands all over her.” Jace glanced over at the children who were all holding onto each other. They were far too young to have to witness something like this. 

“Your concern should be that you’re outnumbered.” Jace just grinned at him. “Don’t say I didn’t ask nicely.” He pulled out his sword as the man closest to him charged at him. 

One of them ne hit the man on the ground, causing him to double over in pain. He began to pull out his own sword to help fight Jace when pain took over his senses. Looking down in shock, the man noticed the arrow which was sunken deep into his shoulder. 

The two remaining men looked around wildly. 

“My team is here…I’m not alone as you can see.” Jace said between hits with the guy he was fighting. The man was strong but not nearly as skilled with a sword as Jace. Jace had feeling he was more of the empty threats type of person. 

“Why do they not show themselves then?” The man holding the woman asked, using her as somewhat of a shield. 

“Because the element of surprise is much more amusing.” Jace slashed to his right, cutting the man on his arm. The man gasped in shock, dropping his sword. Jace held the tip of his at the man’s throat. 

“You think I’m going to leave because you’ve killed one of my men?” The man holding the woman chuckled, kissing the woman on her neck. 

“Who said anything about killing?” Jace asked, pulling his sword back. He moved so quickly that, before the man noticed what he was doing, Jace pulled back and then slammed his first into the man’s face, knocking him onto the ground.

“Come out!” The third man shouted, trying to find where the arrow had come from, his sword drawn. Hearing rustling to his right, He jabbed into the bushes. Hitting nothing, he turned just in time for an arrow to sink itself into his thigh. He cried out, falling to the ground. 

Alec came out of hiding, an arrow drawn, pointed at the man who held the woman who silently cried as she stood there. If it wasn’t for the man holding her, she’d probably have fallen to the ground by now. 

“Now it’s us against you. I suggest you let the lady go and we’ll pretend this never happened.” Jace said to him as the man looked nervously between Jace and Alec, namely, Alec’s arrow that was pointed at his head. 

“How do I know the pretty boy is a great shot?” The man asked. 

“Who’s to say I’m the one who shot the other two?” Alec asked, looking calm. 

The man looked around the area they were currently standing in, trying in vain to spot the others that were with them. 

“They owe me payment.” The man said angrily. 

“They don’t owe you anything. Get out of here. I won’t ask again.” Jace all but growled. 

The man had a fire in his eyes but as his three other men limped in their attempt to get up to get out of there, he frowned.

“Watch your back.” He threatened them, pushing the woman towards Jace who caught her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, crying softly into his chest. 

The man helped his comrade who had the arrow in his leg, yanking it out forcefully and, once he was standing, pulled him out and away from the area.

The man who was in rags stood up on shaking legs, looking at Jace and Alec suspiciously. 

“We have no payment…please.” The man said. The woman, having recovered, let go of Jace and ran into his arms. 

Alec put his bow down, putting the arrow back into his quiver. He walked over, collecting one of the arrows that hadn’t been damaged being removed from a body. 

“We’re not looking for payment or trouble. We are just travellers. We heard the commotion and couldn’t just stand by.” Jace explained, putting his sword away. 

“Where are you headed?” The man asked. 

“Towards Alicante, a small town near there.” Jace decided on.

“It’s getting late…do you boys have a safe place to sleep? Robbers like that take particular interest in attacking with the cover of night.” 

Jace and Alec both shook their heads. “If those men come back looking for us, we don’t want to put you in any danger.”

“What about the others who are with you?” The woman spoke up this time. She removed herself from the man, who they assumed was her husband, bending down and letting the children hug onto her.

Alec grinned, sharing a look with Jace. 

“It’s just the two of you. Clever.” The man said, stepping forward. “My name is Jonas. This is my wife, Alaina. Samuel and Anna are ours and Mercy belongs to our people’s leader. He’d be indebted to you as we are now. Please…it’s another hour travel to our village. We’ll be safe there. Robbers don’t dare attack villages.” 

Having a feeling those men might come looking for them for revenge, they relented, colleting Church and followed them. 

The kids, excited to see a horse, rode on top of him. Church seemed to like them, having nosed at their faces when they’d gotten closer. 

“Vincent and his band of robbers have been harassing us for years. We were heading back to the village from traveling to a healer for Mercy. As long as we enough fruit and vegetables to give them…they leave us be. The weather is changing and our gardens have been sparse.” Jonas explained to them as they walked.

“Is Mercy alright?” Alec asked, glancing back at the kids on Church. He smiled; they were having a great time riding him.

Alaina nodded. “When the weather begins to change, her breathing becomes difficult. Her father has to remain in the village so we offered to take her to the healer. He gives her a formula that helps.” 

“Thanks again for letting us come with you to rest. We don’t want to be any trouble.” Jace commented as they began to see small huts in the near distance. 

“It’s the least we can do. What could have happened…I don’t want to think about it.” Jonas clapped Jace on the shoulder.

In front of them, 10 men with spears stood in a line, having seen them approaching. 

“Our village protects their own. They may want to take your weapons, please don’t fight. You have my word that you will be safe.” Jonas told them as Jace tensed, his hand resting on his sword. Reluctantly, he dropped his arm to his side.

The men met them in the middle, immediately surrounding Jace and Alec. Alec had to bite the inside of his cheek as his quiver was removed from his shoulder. He put his hands up in surrender as they searched him. Finding Jace’s eyes, he could tell his brother was boiling as they removed his sword and quiver. 

Once the men seemed satisfied, they surrounded the group, walking them into the village. 

“Daddy!” Mercy yelled and, with the help of Jonas, got off of the horse and ran towards her father. The man smiled, bending down to pick up his daughter. She wrapped herself around him, happy to see him. 

“Jonas…who are these men?” He asked, his voice commanding as other villagers stood near, watching the scene unfold. 

“Their names are Jace and Alec. We were ambushed by Vincent and his men. If it was not for these two, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have made it back. Edgar, they saved our lives, we owe them.” Jonas told him. It was clear in the way they spoke that they were close. He looked wearily at Jace and Alec. 

“Edgar, it’s true. The men they…they wanted me as payment.” Alaina told him, her hand on Edgar’s arm. Looking between the two, it was easy to tell the must be related. They had the same eyes and hair color. 

Edgar made a signal with his arm and the men left their positions around Jace and Alec. Putting down his daughter, Edgar came closer to them. He placed his hands on each man’s shoulder, giving them a squeeze. “Then I must thank you. There’s a lot to say about one’s character when they blinded help those in need.” 

“It was no trouble. We’re glad we were at the right place at the right time.” Alec answered him. 

“We are to celebrate the beginning of Autumn tonight. My men will show you to a place for you to sleep. Please, join us in our celebration.” 

0000

Jace and Alec were placed in two huts that were side by side. They were small, mostly consisting of beds and large containers with water, most likely used to bathe in. 

After washing his hands, Alec left his hut and joined Jace, the two of them going towards the large fire in the center of the village.

Cooked pig and vegetables could be smelled in the air. A few villagers were playing music and others were dancing around the fire. 

Seeing the two, Alaina walked over towards them. “We celebrate the Gods and thank them for a cherished summer. We then humbly ask for a safe Autumn and coming winter. Please, eat and drink your fill.” 

The two of them sat on a log, mostly watching the celebration. The village was larger than it seemed, maybe 40 or 50 villagers in total. They drank the wine they were given and ate the plates of food that had been handed over. 

Mercy ran over to them at one point, grabbing Alec’s hand. She began to pull on his hand and so Alec stood up. He blushed horribly as she pulled him towards the dancers, holding onto his hands and moving happily. Jace laughed as he watched, glancing over at a beautiful woman who kept looking his way. He nodded to her, holding his drink up before taking a swig of it. 

After dancing with Mercy for a short while, Alec managed to pass her off to her friends who giggled excitedly. He walked back over towards Jace, sitting down heavily. 

“I may turn in for the night. I want to get an early start in the morning.” Alec said to him, obvious of Jace’s interest in a woman here.

“You’re always a buzzkill you know.” Jace complained, nudging Alec in the shoulder.

“When you’re complaining tomorrow that you’re tired, I don’t want to hear it.” Standing up, Alec didn’t get to walk away before Edgar came over to the two of them. Jace stood as well, wanting to be polite.

“I hope that our hospitality has been to your liking.” 

Alec and Jace both nodded. “It has been more than we needed. We thank you for it.”

“It is I who must thank you for protecting my daughter and my sister. I can’t imagine losing them.” There was a haunted look in his eyes, something that told them perhaps something sad had happened in his past. 

“We’re glad they’re safe too.” Jace said, looking over, seeing Alaina and Jonas sharing what looked to be a type of dessert. 

“I wanted to gift the two of you with our most beautiful villagers for the night.” Edgar chuckled, seeing their confusion on their faces. “Don’t fret…it is of their consent. We don’t condone forced pleasure.” Alec could feel how hot his face had become, glad the night sky and fire hid it. Jace just looked unsure and confused. 

“That’s really not necessary…I…mean, thank you but…I don’t…” Alec stumbled helplessly over his own words. Jace grabbed him by his shoulders.

“Thank you. We bid you a good night.” Jace said, pulling his brother away and towards their huts. 

“Maybe this could be good for you. A relaxing night with a beautiful woman.” Jace grinned causing Alec to roll his eyes. 

Jace and Alec made it to Jace’s hut first, Jace turning to say goodnight to his brother. Instead, he looked behind him. Alec, curious, turned to see a woman from the celebration having followed them. She smiled a beautiful smile, her eyes on Jace.

Alec stepped out of the way, eyebrows rose curiously. 

Another woman, just as beautiful came out from the hut, wrapping her arms around Jace’s shoulders. 

Jace looked at Alec for a moment before the woman from the celebration grinned at her friend, moving to Jace and kissing him. Jace kissed her back as the woman behind him started kissing his neck. 

Rolling his eyes, Alec turned to leave, going nervously towards his hut. Taking a long, shuddering breath, Alec stepped into his hut.

It was dark so it was difficult for him to see the whole room. A candle on a small table in the corner near the entrance illuminated enough. 

“Hello?” Alec asked nervously, seeing an outline sitting up on his bed. Walking towards the areas in the hut that had candles, Alec lit up the room. With his back to the person, he put the candle down, turning. 

What he didn’t hear, or expect, was the person suddenly in front of him. Lips were on his and Alec was so shocked, he didn’t react at first. The lips were soft and inviting but once the shock wore off, Alec stepped back. His breath caught in his throat.

Standing in front of him certainly was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen in his life. Their skin was a light tanned color, empty of any blemishes. The body was solid, strong looking with signs of someone who took care of themselves. Their short black hair was styled and twisted on the top, streaks of red glinting in the light. Soft brown eyes stared at him, black rimming them. Red sparkled on their eyelids. The person wore very little, only a tiny cloth covering their genitals. 

What Alec had not been expecting was a man in his room. He had already been dreading someone waiting for him for…something physical to take place. What would Jace say if he knew a man was awaiting Alec and not a woman? 

The man smiled at Alec, stepping closer to him. Alec’s brain caught up to the situation, taking a step back but was stopped by the table behind him. He put his hands up, gently pressing on the man’s chest. 

“I uhm…I can’t. I don’t…I mean..” Alec frowned, not sure when he had ever been so unable to form coherent sentences. 

The man looked at him, obviously confused but didn’t make an attempt to come closer. 

“This culture…I just don’t understand this type of…gift. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to offend you.” The man looked offended for a moment or two before he looked…what Alec could only assume, as relieved. 

“I’m Alec.” He eventually said, side stepping the man to give them some space.

Turning, he waited for the male to speak but nothing came out. He looked troubled. 

“Do you understand what I’m saying?” Alec asked instead, relieved that the male nodded his head. “Okay. Look…you owe me no obligation. If you’d like to go home, you can.” Alec said, moving towards the entrance of the hut to open the thin door. Before he could grab the door, he felt a warmth on his elbow, looking down and turning as the male had grabbed him.

His eyes were large and he vigorously shook his head. 

“You don’t want to leave?” Alec asked, biting his bottom lip. It didn’t go unnoticed as the male’s eyes went from his eyes down to his lips and then eventually back to his eyes. 

“Okay. You don’t have to go.” Alec relented. The man let go. He moved past Alec, glancing outside. Alec, curiously, followed behind him and looked out as well. Standing near the door was one of the villagers with a spear. 

“Are you worried about him?” Alec asked, moving towards the bed and sitting on the edge. The male stayed standing, suddenly looking vulnerable. He wrapped his arms around his waist, nodding. 

“Can you talk? I think I could help more if I had an explanation.” 

The male huffed but then shook his head. He had opened his mouth briefly as if he was going to talk but didn’t. 

“Are…are you a prisoner here?” Alec asked, suddenly worried, dread filling him. The man didn’t make an attempt to answer him. 

Instead, the male came towards Alec, dropping to his knees in front of him, kneelilng between his legs. Alec felt his entire body freeze up. He reached up, pulling on the string that held his shirt together below his neck. Once again, pulling himself out of his stupor, Alec placed his hands on top of his. They were soft, warm and he wanted to hold them but realized the awkwardness of the situation. 

“I uhm…I don’t know if you’re worried you’ll get in trouble or something but don’t worry. Please…you can stay here but I can’t receive any gifts from you.” He felt his face heat once more, the male looking into his face with uncertainty. There was a guarded expression in his eyes. Suddenly frowning, the male stood up abruptly, pulling away.

He sat down stiffly in the small chair in the corner. Feeling the tension in the room, Alec slowly removed his boots. 

“I need to sleep but please…there’s enough room if you get tired. I’ll keep my distance.” Alec told him, pulling his legs up onto the bed. It was a large bed except it wasn’t long enough. He pulled his legs up, sleeping on his side. He felt on edge with the male in the room with him but he did his best to ignore it. The slight haze from the wine helped him relax, eventually drifting off to sleep.

0000

It was hours later when Alec woke up. It was still late as the light was dark in the hut. For a moment, he wasn’t sure what had woken him up. He was sleeping on his back, his mind wanting to go back into unconsciousness. 

Something was wrong though and as his body and mind woke up more, his eyes popped up. Instinctively, Alec went to move his arm up, but felt that it was stuck to his side. There was also a pressure on his chest.

Blinking in the darkness, Alec froze as he realized the predicament he was in.

The beautiful male was sitting on top of him, his legs pinning Alec’s arms to his side. His dagger that had been hidden in his boot was in the male’s hand, who had it pressed against Alec’s throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Magnus is here! I hope no one feels uncomfortable with what was going on. It'll be explained in the story.
> 
> Important to note: Magnus isn't a prostitute and he hasn't been used against his will. I know that could be a trigger but it's not the 'r' word that's happening!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing this a little quicker with scenes than I normally do mostly because I tend to add too many details sometimes to a plot which then complicates it!

Alec was frozen, his life suddenly flashing before his eyes. He could feel the cold, sharp steel against his neck. He didn’t dare swallow, knowing his adam’s apple would press against the blade.

The way the male was straddling him. Alec could feel one of his legs pressing his forearm into the mattress, the other arm pinned between leg and torso. 

It was still dark, though a little bit of light from the moon was spreading into the room. Alec couldn’t see most of his face but could see his eyes shining from the reflected light. 

Knowing if he did nothing, he’d be dead, he quickly decided he had to try something. He just hoped it wouldn’t end with the knife jabbed into his throat. 

The male was sitting on his upper body, which meant his legs were free. Slowly, agonizingly so, Alec bent his legs, using them to leverage his body, pushing up. The movement startled the male and Alec used his confusion to rip his arm up, pushing the guy off to the side.

Alec rolled them over, using his larger body to press the smaller male into the mattress. He vaguely was aware of the dagger swinging in the air, but he managed to grab his forearm, slamming it into the bed. It took nothing for Alec to gain control of the second flailing arm, holding both arms above the male’s head. He was breathing heavily, trying in vain to squirm out from underneath Alec. Alec used his legs to pin the male’s legs down and with his body weight on top of him, he was rendered trapped. 

“Care to share why you were about to kill me?” Alec asked, his adrenaline causing his breathing to come out faster.

The male just stared up at him, eventually jerking his head to the side, closing his eyes, jaw clenching. 

Alec tried to get a read on him but there was nothing there. 

“Let go of the dagger.” Alec said to him. It wasn’t so much of a command as it was a strong suggestion. 

The male’s hand was still tightly holding it, as if somehow it could do something to ward off an attack from Alec. 

“Please…let go of the dagger. You let go, I’ll let go.” Alec compromised. 

The male turned his head to look at Alec, a hint of a glare on his face along with something that looked like mistrust and fear.

Alec just stared him down. He could feel an odd intensity building between them, not to mention Alec’s acute awareness of how close he was to this man. 

He watched as the male opened up his hand, the dagger landing on the bed. Exhaling, Alec quickly grabbed the dagger and then moved so the male could get up.

And the male got up quickly, nearly shooting up and off of the bed. Alec ran his free hand over his face. He felt like he was still partially asleep. 

Walking over towards the candle that was nearly out, Alec once again lit the room up. He could feel the morning chill in the air and so he grabbed his jacket, shrugging it on. He noticed the male was still barely dressed and could even see the goosebumps on his skin. 

“Please don’t be offended if I say I really don’t feel comfortable with you in here anymore. Surely you’re safe to go now?” Alec asked, pocketing the dagger for now. 

The male was refusing to look him in the eye. If he looked closer, he even looked a little ashamed.

Alec chewed on his bottom lip, not really sure what to do. Walking over to the bed, Alec adjusted the blankets on top, moving them down to the end of the bed. 

“This is what you’re here for…get on the bed.” Alec said, this time his tone was assertive, his arms crossing over his chest. The male’s head snapped up, eyes wide, lips slightly parted as a shocked sound came from him. It reminded him of a time when Jace had startled Catarina once. 

“Well…go on.” Alec added when it seemed that the male was unsure. 

Stiffly, he walked over towards the bed. He sat down first, just sitting there before slowly moving, carefully laying on his back. His arms rested at his sides, his chest rising and falling quicker than before.

Alec walked over towards the bed, not missing when he tensed up. Reaching down, Alec grabbed the blanket, pulling it up and over the male until it was just below his shoulders. 

“You’re freezing and you obviously don’t trust me. In fact, you almost murdered me in my sleep because of it.” Alec was still shocked that had happened but he couldn’t dwell on it too much. “I’m guessing you didn’t sleep at all either. I’m going to stay in my brother’s hut for the rest of the night. Get some sleep.” And with that, Alec put his boots on and left the hut. 

Before Alec could enter Jace’s hut he paused, hearing the sounds coming from the room. Rolling his eyes, he realized that his brother was very much still awake and being entertained.

Wrapping his jacket tighter around his body, he walked over towards the clearing where the festival was taking place. The music was no longer playing but he could see people still about. It looked like there were some who were having intimate moments, not concerned with it being in public. 

Alec walked over towards the fire, taking a seat near it. It warmed him instantly. He wanted to go back to sleep but he didn’t want to wake up like he had before. 

He watched the fire licking its way into the air, glancing down at the wood, seeing it turning into ash. 

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been staring into the fire only to be surprised to find someone sitting next to him. It was Alaina. She had a smile on her face.

“Alec…what are you doing out here so late?” She asked, lifting up a glass and taking a drink from it. 

“I just uh…I thought I’d get some air. Have you been celebrating all night?” Alec asked, wanting to get the attention off of him. 

Alaina grinned with a nod. “It is a wonderful night of celebration…I have much to be thankful for.” She gave him a knowing look, causing him to duck his head. “I do hope you enjoyed your night.” There was a teasing tone in her voice. 

“Thank you for helping provide us with a bed. It’s much better than the ground we’ve been sleeping on.” Alec deflected, Alaina nodded. 

“What is it? You did not enjoy the gift you were given?” 

Alec took a deep breath. “Is he a…prisoner here?” There was no other way to ask.

Alaina looked surprised. “Oheo? No…he’s no prisoner. He is property that was given to our village in payment for protection. The village that he belonged to gave him to us.”

“So he’s…owned?”

“Customs are different throughout Idris from village to village. Some pay with fruit, some with physical favors and others with gold or silver. Edgar could see he’d been previously abused and asked for him. They didn’t seem eager to do so at first, but they’d been attacked by nearby bandits and needed our help to protect them. “

Alec stayed quiet, listening to any information she was willing to give him.

“He has given thanks in physical form and so we believe that is part of his culture. When we have had others come to pass, Oheo has willingly given himself. Was there an issue?”

Alec shook his head. “No no…I just don’t…” He furrowed his brow, determined not to tell a stranger about his sexual orientation.

“You do not enjoy the company of a man?” She filled in, trying to understand. 

“Something like that.” He answered here. “Is he mute? Does he not speak?” 

“We’re not sure. He understands what we’re saying and can follow instructions. I’ve seen him reading when we have something here but he can’t write, nor can he answer us with words” She sighed, it obvious it was something of a puzzle they had yet to figure out. “We’ve tried to teach him to speak but he’s unable to. Perhaps his vocal chords have been damaged.” 

“Why was there a guard outside of my hut?”

“It is for Oheo’s protection. Please take no offense. You’ve seen him. He’s beautiful, as is the means of his name. We gave it to him, as he was worthy of a name that fit him.” Alec just nodded in understanding at that. 

Alaina sat with him for a little while longer. She asked them about their travels though Alec kept it vague. He merely explained that they had yet to see the city and that they wished to see it. 

“Be careful in the city. The King is suspicious of anyone new coming to town. He’s very paranoid.” 

“Have you had any trouble from him?” 

“Thankfully no, but I’ve known others, merchants mainly, who have had a hard time in the city. Keep your heads down.” 

Bidding him a goodnight a little while later, Alec got up, deciding to see if he could get anymore sleep.

He poked his head in Jace’s hut, seeing that the three of them were wrapped up together, sprawled over the bed. No room there. 

Alec frowned, wondering if many there was another empty hut nearby that he could commandeer for the night. 

He had just begun to walk past his hut when he realized two things at the same time: there were sounds coming through as if someone was moving around the furniture and the guard was gone. 

Feeling something off, Alec entered the hut. 

At first glance, it looked as though he’d walked into an intimate moment. It didn’t take him long at all to realize the problem. The guard was standing at the edge of the bed. Oheo was pressed into the mattress, chest down. Alec couldn’t see his cloth, instead his bare ass. The guard had one hand holding both of Oheo’s arms above his head, the other hand tangled into his hair. Oheo’s eyes were tightly shut, his face showing his obvious discomfort. 

Alec moved closer, grabbing the guard by his shoulder, wrenching him back. The guard, in shock and obviously having not heard Alec, startled before releasing Oheo immediately. Oheo fell to the ground before crawling away, moving to the furthest corner of the hut and curling in on himself. 

Alec kept his attention on the guard who was adjusting his own clothing, looking at Alec angrily. 

“What the Hell was that?! You’re supposed to be protecting him not raping him!” Alec said, his voice louder than he realized. 

“It’s what he wants.” The guard answered him. 

“Nothing about this seems consensual. Get out. Now!” Alec demanded, feeling himself warm up from the anger coiling inside of him.

Without another word, the guard brushed past Alec and out of the hut. Feeling his heart beating quicker than it was a minute ago, Alec ran a hand through his hair. 

Turning around, Alec spotted Oheo against the wall. He was sitting up with his legs pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped around them, head down. 

Not seeing his cloth, Alec shrugged out of his jacket. “I’m coming closer okay? I won’t hurt you.” Alec did just that, kneeling down. Oheo tensed and didn’t stop even after Alec placed his jacket over his body. 

Slowly lifting his head up, Oheo looked at Alec through glossy eyes. Alec was at eye level with him, frowning when he saw his face. The lipstick he was wearing was smeared onto his cheek. 

“That’s why you didn’t want to leave earlier. He’s done that before?” Alec deduced and Oheo hesitantly nodded. “I’m sorry. Alaina told me a little bit about how you got here. If you want, I could tell Edgar about him. I’m sure he’d make sure it wouldn’t happen anymore.” Oheo didn’t really give him much of an answer but just looked solemnly. 

“Come on…it’s cold.” Alec said, standing up and holding his hands out to give Oheo to help him stand. 

At first, Alec didn’t think he would take his proffered hands but then he did. Carefully, Oheo extracted himself off of the floor, reaching up and taking one of Alec’s hands, the other holding onto his jacket. He stood on shaking legs but once he was balanced, he let him go. 

“I’m tired and I’d like to get some more sleep. I don’t want to leave you alone either…in case he comes back. I also would prefer it if I didn’t wake up to a knife to my throat again. Think we can find a compromise in this situation?” Alec asked him as he walked over towards the bed, readjusting the blankets that had been thrown around during the attempted assault. 

Oheo nodded, following him towards the bed. Oheo went to the opposite side of the bed, getting back in. Alec followed suit, making sure to keep his distance from him. 

“Sleep well.” Alec said to him before turning over, giving the other male as much privacy as he could.

0000

The morning came too soon but Alec was eager to keep going. He knew that they were behind schedule and could only hope that Lucian wouldn’t worry Cat thinking something had happened to them if they were too late. 

Alec had woken up to see that he was alone. There was no telling how long it had been since Oheo had left. He got up quickly, wanting to find Edgar.

Edgar had not been happy to find out about what happened to Oheo. He sent some of his more trusted guard to look for the one from last night, but it turned out he’d fled in the night. The shame of what he’d done, on top of a punishment, must have scared him away. 

Alec and Jace packed up everything they had brought with them along with additions Alaina had insisted they have. They were given fresher, better food and more clothing. They told them a storm was coming and that what they’d brought with them might not be enough. 

Church had been groomed and fed so he was happy and ready to go on their journey.

“Thank you again for your selflessness towards our family.” Edgar said to them as he stepped closer. Most of the village had been watching them prepare to depart. 

“You’re welcome. We’re happy we could help.” Jace answered him, clapping his hand on the other man’s shoulder, a gesture they had learned that was a way of greeting and departing. 

Edgar copied the move. After that, he repeated it with Alec. 

“Good fortune to you and your people.” Alec said, making a mental note that, once he was King, to help the various small villages all throughout ldris. 

As they turned to leave, Alec caught sight of Oheo. He was standing near the back; a woman had her arm around his waist. He rested his head on her shoulder. His eyes never left Alec’s. Alec gave him a small smile before eventually turning and leaving with Jace. 

0000

“He almost did what!? And then you still slept in there?” Jace exclaimed, doing his best to keep his voice down. They had been walking for several hours, determined to go as far as they could to make up for lost time.

“I don’t know what that was about.” Referring to almost being stabbed. “Maybe he was afraid that I was faking it or waiting for his guard to go down to hurt him? I don’t know. Even if he had managed to hurt me…I still couldn’t have walked by and let that guy hurt him like that. No one should have their body used against their will.” 

“Well…I’m glad he didn’t kill you. It would definitely hinder our plans. Cat would probably lock me in our home to never leave again.” Jace said, trying to move on from the shock of his brother almost getting killed. 

“What about you? Long night?” Alec asked, glancing over at Jace, not missing the marks on his neck on his collar. 

Jace grinned mischievously. “Those were some fun, beautiful women. I wasn’t sure at first. Like you, I didn’t know if they were willing or not. It didn’t take long for them to convince me they were game.” Alec rolled his eyes. 

Alec had expected Jace to make a joke about a man being in his hut but nothing came from him. It made Alec paranoid and curious at the same time. Did Jace know the truth? 

Ahead of them, they saw a horse and a carriage. There was a ton of boxes in the back. On the ground in a heap was a person. They couldn’t see them as whoever it was, was curled up on themselves. 

They slowed down, not quite approaching the person yet. “What do you think happened?” Jace whispered, moving closer to Alec. 

“Robbed maybe?” 

“We really need to stop playing hero.” Which was ironic, considering their mission was the most heroic part of their mission. 

Alec stayed with Church as Jace cautiously made it over towards the man. He realized it was a man as he got closer, hearing the grunts. 

“Sir? Are you alright?” Jace asked, bending down and shaking the man’s shoulder. The man groaned, curling tighter into himself. “We’re not here to hurt you.” 

“But we’re here to hurt you.” A voice, loud enough for Jace to hear, said.

Dread settled in, Jace straightening and turning, looking behind him where his brother was.

Jace frowned angrily as he saw one of the men from the day before standing behind Alec, sword pressed against the side of his neck. Alec had his bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. The man must have snuck up on him when Alec was about to notch it. 

The man on the ground started laughing. Jace turned around, looking at the man who was beginning to get up. Vincent. “I’d surrender now if you don’t want the handsome fella over there to be decapitated.” 

Jace and Alec looked at each other, silently acknowledging the huge problem they now had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Oheo is Magnus. 
> 
> More with what's going on will come, I promise! 
> 
> I also added a couple tags. I said in the last chapter notes that Magnus isn't being sexually abused but organically it fell into place that it's something that might be happening a little/has happened in the past.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder: Oheo = Magnus ;)

Alec and Jace shared a look, both of them trying to assure the other. 

Once they were ambushed and their hands tied behind their backs, they’d been led to the camp the group had set up. It wasn’t much. There was a fire going and a few rags on the ground to sleep on. Wherever they truly lived, they had been unable to get back yet. The brothers had a feeling it had something to do with them. 

The man Alec had hit in the leg with an arrow was sitting near the fire, a bloody cloth tied around his wound. He glared at them as they approached. 

The men who had caught them led them over towards a couple trees, carefully tying them, one at a time, to the trees. Their arms were stretched painfully around the trunk, the twine they used to hold them in placing digging into their wrists. 

“You messed with the wrong people, Pretty Boy.” The large man who had been holding Alaina sneered at Jace. Jace and Alec barely put up a struggle as, whenever they even considered it, the other was threatened with a sword so they had no choice but to comply. A rope went around their legs, pinning them to the trees in standing positions next to each other. 

“We could say the same to you.” Before Jace could even react to it, the other man he had fought, punched him in the face.

“JACE!” Alec shouted, pulling at his restraints, gasping at the jaggedness of the tree against his arms. He was tired too tightly, unable to budge. 

“Boss, what are we planning on doing with them?” Thigh injury asked from where he was sitting. 

“I have a couple ideas.” The leader said, walking over towards Alec who pressed himself against the tree as if he could get away from him. The man pulled a cloth out of his pocket, tying it around Alec’s head, preventing him from speaking. He repeated this with Jace so they could no longer communicate. 

“We could sell them to Pangborn?” The man who had a wound bleeding from his shoulder said, coming up closer to them. He glared at Alec before looking back at the leader. “Despite this one having a bruise now…” He rolled his eyes at the one who had punched Jace. “They’re clearly well fed. I imagine they have all of their teeth.” He pulled up on the hem of Jace’s shirt, causing him to growl against the gag. He revealed his torso to his comrades. “Fit…in shape. Pangborn would take them and we’d be forgiven.” Alec and Jace looked at one another, not liking the sound of this. 

“You have a point. He could sell them out for labor jobs or sexual favors. Surely they’d fetch a high price.” The leader answered.

“Why don’t we just keep ‘em? We could loan them out for jobs and services.” 

“Because…we need Pangborn off our backs, you idiot.” 

“I want to teach them a lesson!” The man with the thigh injury spoke up, wobbling over towards the group. 

“If you kill them or damage them too much, their value will go down.” 

“We’ll discuss after dinner.” 

And so, as the day progressed, the four men ate their food and drank their fill of wine. Alec and Jace, still standing in place, tried to get free but the bonds were too tight. Jace could feel a trickle of blood run down his palm, off the tip of his finger from twisting his wrists so much.

The sun was just beginning to settle when the man with the thigh injury stood up, walking towards them. Alec stiffened, seeing his bow and quiver in his hands. The man stumbled, both because of his injury and the alcohol he consumed. 

“We decided we’d be okay with just one of you to sell. If I miss and you live, you’ll be sold too. If I manage just to injure you, he’ll still probably take you, just at a discounted price. Of course, if I kill you, that’s another story.” But he just shrugged, obviously not worried if he did that instead. 

Jace started yelling through his rag in his mouth, struggling once more to get free, his eyes wide. Alec’s eyes were wide too but he forced himself to relax, he needed to be brave, for Jace’s sake. He could feel his heart thundering against his chest. 

The man fumbled as he attempted to hold the arrow and the bow at the same time. He barely held the arrow against the string before it fell to the ground. He cursed, bending over to retrieve it and in response, the quiver on his shoulder tipped over, all of the arrows falling to the ground. 

One of the men who was partially paying attention, starting laughing so hard, he fell over. 

“Shut up…like you could do any better.” Thigh injury cursed, tossing down the empty quiver and picking up an arrow once again. 

With shaking hands, he notched the arrow, pulling back the string. He closed one eye, doing his best to focus. 

Alec stood straight, unable to move whatsoever. Gasping into the cloth, Alec heard before he felt the arrow imbed itself into the tree beside his right hip. He looked up in shock, unbelieving that the man managed to shoot one, let alone hit the tree. 

The man cursed, grabbing another arrow and notching once more. This shot went far left, into the woods somewhere. The third shot nicked Alec’s bicep. It could feel the sting against his skin. 

Jace was still trying in vain to free himself but was getting nowhere and the frustration was fueling Alec’s anxiety. He couldn’t get free himself but he also couldn’t give this man the luxury of seeing Alec’s fear. 

Jerking his head quickly to the right, an arrow lodged itself next to his head. He breathed heavily through his nose, trying not to panic based on the fact that that arrow could have killed him. 

“You had your fun…now bugger off.” The leader came over, observing the shots he’d made. “We sell them both…with no holes in them.” His voice left no argument. The man glared at Alec, coming closer to him.

“When he goes to sleep…you’ll be my target once again.” He said, patting Alec hard on the cheek. 

Alec let himself turn his head once the man left, looking at Jace. He could see a mixture of fear and relief in his eyes. Alec gave him a slight nod, hoping his brother understood that he was okay. A little shaken, but okay. He could feel the adrenaline wearing off, his body shaking a little.

It was well into the night before the man came back. Alec and Jace were still awake, mostly due to their positions both physically and literally. What the men planned on doing with them didn’t sound good, at all. If they were going to be used against the other whenever they needed to be controlled, they weren’t going to get out of this. If only they could communicate to come up with some type of plan. 

The man held a knife, the metal glinting in the moonlight. He came back up to Alec, holding the knife up for his inspection.

“I believe in an eye for an eye. I don’t need to kill ya, I just need you to feel the pain I felt when your damn arrow shot into my leg.” He explained. Alec could smell the alcohol still on his breath as he glanced down at Alec’s body. Alec tried to move under his scrutiny but once again, was stuck in place. 

The man chuckled quietly. “Trapped…I like it.” He grinned, turning the knife in his hand. He held the point of the blade against Alec’s chest. “Not here…” He said, dragging the knife down his chest and over his hip. He moved it between his legs, causing Alec to inhale sharply. The man looked up at him, not moving the blade. “That would make it hard for you to be a sex servant huh? Deformed or missing your cock completely.” He tsked as he moved the knife to the center of his thigh. “Now this…this is the perfect spot.” The man pulled his arm back. 

Alec, against his nerve, closed his eyes. He stood there, wondering where the pain was when it didn’t come. Was he in such shock that he couldn’t feel it? 

He opened his eyes just in time to hear a grunt. What was happening in front of him was something he definitely didn’t expect.

Oheo was currently standing behind the man, his hand clamped over his mouth as blood seeped from the man’s neck rapidly. He other arm was across the man’s chest, a knife dripping with blood in his hand. As the man stuttered in his grip and began to get heavier, Oheo slowly lowered him to the ground. He looked down at him, watching his last breath leave him with a pool of blood leaving his lips. 

He looked up, determined brown eyes meeting confused hazel. Oheo came closer to Alec, the arm with the knife lifting up. Alec didn’t have time to wonder if Oheo was now going to finish what he had tried in the hut when the arm came quickly down. Oheo sawed at the twine holding his wrists around the tree. He felt the tautness spring free, almost falling forward if it wasn’t for the other male’s hand on his chest keeping him upright. Oheo reached up, carefully removing the cloth around his head. He made a gesture, which meant for Alec to stay and he nodded. Oheo bent down, removing the ties that kept his legs against the tree as well. 

Alec removed the twine around his wrists while Oheo untied Jace. As soon as he was able to speak, Jace whispered quickly. “Are you okay?” 

Alec looked at him in astonishment before nodding. “Better now. You?” He asked, his eyes flicking to the dried blood that had fallen from Jace’s nose after he’d been punched in the face. 

“Better.” They both turned to look at Oheo. 

He moved his arm for them to follow them, his finger pressed to his lips. They both nodded, doing as he asked. They just had to hope that trusting him wouldn’t get them in more trouble. 

Past the camp where the men were sleeping, just behind a bushel of trees, was Church. Alec and Jace smiled, practically hugging their beloved horse. The men had left him behind, not caring about needing to feed another animal. 

They started to leave when Oheo turned back towards the camp.

“No…what are you doing? We need to go.” Alec whispered quickly, catching his arm. Oheo looked down at his hand on his arm before looking back into his eyes. He shook his head, shrugging out of his grip. 

Oheo turned, grabbing Jace’s arm, causing both of them to share a confused stance. Oheo rolled his eyes, beckoning for Jace to follow him. Jace just shrugged at Alec before doing so.

“Dammit.” Alec whispered, running a hand through his hair. He winced, feeling a twinge in his wrist from the broken skin.

A few minutes later as Alec stood there just as nervous as Church seemed to be, Jace and Oheo reappeared, but this time they were carrying their weapons and bags with their rations. Luckily, the men didn’t seem to bother going through their things. 

Guiding Church out of there, the trio quickly made their way back towards the road. 

They walked quietly for several hours, mostly paranoid that the other three men might have woken up and realized what had happened. One of their men was dead and they were sure they wouldn’t let them live. 

Alec and Jace could feel exhaustion creeping into their bones and muscles. Alec was slouched over and Jace had trouble keeping his eyes open. When it didn’t seem like they could walk much further, Oheo motioned for them to turn to the left, going into a part of the thicker woods they were currently in.

They knew they would need to be careful moving forward on the main roads. Who knew if the men had other friends who would be looking for them. They didn’t want to take any chances. 

Finding a spot that seemed secluded, the three of them settled for the rest of the night. They were certain they were at least 5 or 6 miles ahead of the men. 

“Still not talking?” Jace asked Oheo as they laid out their blankets for the night. Oheo just looked at him as he put his own blanket down. As they walked in the night, they realized Oheo had brought his own pack with him. 

Alec sat down, unable to stand up anymore. Oheo grabbed some cloth out of his bag, coming and sitting across from Alec. He reached forward, grabbing his hand gently to pull his arm over. Alec complied, watching as the quiet male started to bandage his wrists. Alec hissed at the first contact but knew it was best to have them covered than not. 

“Thank you…for saving us.” Alec said to him, watching Oheo’s face as he concentrated on the task at hand. Once his wrist was wrapped, Oheo held his hand with both of his. He looked up at him, nodding, switching to the other wrist to tend to. 

“After I told Edgar what had happened, I asked him about why he’s mute but he has no idea. He wondered if maybe he had some sort of trauma in his past to make him this way.” Alec explained to Jace as he watched the male turn to Jace to help him with his injured wrists this time. 

Alec prodded at his arm, remembering how close his arrow had been to piercing it. He could feel the cut but was relieved it hadn’t been too deep. 

Oheo was shaking his head but neither Alec nor Jace knew if he was communicating with them or making an assessment himself with Jace’s wrists. 

When he was done, he turned back to Alec. He held up his arm and pointed at his wrist. He then did the same with the opposite limb and hand. Alec looked at him confused as he watched him roll his eyes and do it again. “Your bracelets?” 

Oheo nodded his head vigorously, a pleased smile on his face. It caught Alec off guard. He couldn’t help but think that he should smile more often. This was the first time he’d seen it and it was lovely. 

Oheo tugged at the bracelets to no avail. Alec frowned, reaching over. Oheo pulled his arm away at first but, after mentally debating with himself, held his arm out. Alec placed his hand on the bracelet, testing it. It was a type of metal and it didn’t appear to have any type of clasp. It was so small that there was no way he’d been able to slip it on. 

“You want these off?” Alec questioned after letting go of his wrist. Oheo nodded, looking defeated in a way. “Do you know how?” Oheo shood his head this time. 

“Since I have a feeling you have no intention of going back to the last village…” Started Jace who was already lying down, drifting off to sleep. “We’re headed to see some friends of our mother…maybe one of them can help.” He suggested. 

Alec watched his reaction to what he was offering. “It’s become clear it’s not safe to be out here, even if you’re not alone. Maybe we’ll have better lucky traveling together?” Alec added, not liking the thought of him out here alone. He wondered why and how he had found them in the first place. Never in his life did he wish he could properly talk to someone. 

Oheo motioned for Alec to lie down and so he did, looking at him curiously. “What about you? Don’t you want some sleep?” Alec asked, hearing a noise from Jace. He rolled his eyes fondly, seeing that his brother was already, somehow, asleep. 

Oheo pointed at his own eyes and then around them. He was going to keep watch. 

“Wake me up if you get tired. I’ll take the next watch.” 

As Alec began to drift off, he wondered how this day had come to pass. They’d nearly been killed and sold for horrendous deeds, only to be saved by the one who had, at one point, wanted to kill Alec in his sleep. He was a little on edge, wondering if Oheo had ulterior motives but his exhaustion began to win out and all he could hope for was to wake up with his two comrades, safe and on the same side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, we really need Oheo (Magnus) to speak and explain things. It's coming, I promise! 
> 
> Please let me know what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I've had a little bit of writer's block and I've been so busy lately!

When Alec awoke from someone shaking his shoulder, he stirred out of his relaxed state. His back was sore from sleeping on the ground but he felt more refreshed. Blinking and sitting up, he noticed that Oheo was asleep on the other side of the fire and Jace was the one hovering over him.

“Morning.” Jace said, patting Alec gently on the cheek. Alec swatted at his hand as he stepped away. 

“Morning…”Alec stretched his arms over his head, rolling his head on his shoulders. “Did you take next watch?” 

Jace nodded as he fished through his bag, grabbing a couple small breakfast cakes. He broke one in half, sharing it with Alec.

“I figured, considering you had to a brush with potential death last night, you deserved to get some sleep.” 

Alec rolled his eyes though it was fondly. 

“Thanks…but it’s not like you weren’t hurt yourself.” He said, his eyes drifting to the bruise on Jace’s cheek to the split lip. 

Jace knelt over Oheo, gently poking him in his arm, not wanting him to startle too much and attack him; after what he knew he had tried in Alec’s hut that first night. 

Oheo did flinch, but quickly noticed where he was as he began to wake up. Jace waved a breakfast cake in front of him before tossing it onto his lap. 

“You’re the one with more weight on your shoulders, Pri…” 

“Jace!” Alec shook his head, willing Jace to read his mind. He didn’t want anyone knowing who he was, even if it seemed Oheo liked them.

“Right…” 

Oheo looked curiously between the two of them before timidly taking a small bite of the cake he had unwrapped. His eyes grew as he glanced down at the cake as if he were holding gold. 

Jace grinned. “Our mother makes those…special recipe.”

“I wonder what Cat would think about these past couple days.” 

“She’d probably make us come back home and never leave again.” Jace and Alec both smirked as they ate.

Alec looked over at Oheo, quirking his head to the side. Oheo’s mouth was moving. 

“Are you okay?” 

Oheo looked up at him, unfazed that he’d been caught. He moved his lips again and Alec stared, trying to focus on what he was mouthing and not how soft his lips looked. 

“Cat? Is that what you’re saying?” Oheo nodded.

“It’s short for Catarina. She’s our mother. We’ve never been away from her for this long but we wanted to travel.” Alec explained, leaving out the major details. 

Oheo nodded, his eyes dropping and focusing back on the cake.

0000

“I thought it wasn’t supposed to get this cold for another month?” Jace complained as he wrapped his scarf around his ears and mouth.

Shortly after they finished eating breakfast, a cold draft, which turned into a strong wind, took hold of the day. As the day progressed, a light snow began to fall. Jace and Alec had brought extra clothing but nothing too thick to handle the cold. Oheo had had only one outfit with him to be fully dressed in so Alec and Jace had given him spare clothing to keep warm himself. 

“We’ve been traveling North…it makes sense that it’s getting colder up here before it hits us.” Jace grumbled at Alec’s response, moving to stand on the other side of Church, hoping the horse would block some of the wind. 

“I hope that this next village has small cottages and hospitality.” 

“He knows we’re coming and has a place for us. I’m sure we’ll be accommodated.” Alec rubbed his hands together as they walked, Church’s reins loosely in one hand. Oheo walked quietly on his other side. “How much further do you think we are?” 

Jace reached into his pocket, grabbing a small notebook where he’d taken down directions. He flipped to the right page, squinting at his sloppy handwriting. 

“We’ve passed the forest and those must be the Shadow Mountains. According to Cat, it’s just on the other side. They use the mountains as a way of defense. If anyone tries to attack them, they know the mountains and all its nooks. They’d be able to wait out an attack. This also gives them a side they don’t have to constantly watch and protect. It’s clever, really.” Jace said, pocketing his notebook. 

Alec looked forward, seeing that they were close to the entrance of the mountain range. Hopefully, they would be able to find a way to travel beside it, rather than through. He didn’t want to exhaust themselves to a point where they couldn’t defend themselves if need be. He also didn’t want them to climb a portion that Church wouldn’t be able to follow. Like Hell they would leave their horse behind. 

“If we’re lucky, we’ll get there by sometime tomorrow.” Jace commented as he looked at the mountains ahead. 

“Hopefully we’ll find a place to make camp away from this weather.” Alec sighed, not looking forward to being deep in the mountains with very little cover. 

0000

As they finally made it to the mountains, they did their best to stay off to the side. There was a little bit of a trail, though it looked like it hadn’t been traveled on for some time. The trio could tell that some of the trail lost its safety due to nature taking over once again. There were a couple times where they were forced to stray a little due to something standing in the way. 

A large boulder that must have rolled down one side blocked a path completely, forcing them to turn around to find another way around. Another trail was close to the edge and it wasn’t something Church would be able to carefully and safely walk. 

A large river cut through the valley and, though it would keep them moving in the same direction to cut across, it was freezing and it looked deeper than it seemed. The last thing they needed was to get hypothermia or drown in general. 

The night had fallen as they continued, desperately trying to see through the strong winds and heavier show that was falling. They wanted somewhere to sleep, anywhere that might give them shade from the storm but there was nothing in the foreseeable darkness. 

“We’re going to die out here.” Jace complained, no longer shivering as his body had gone numb an hour ago. 

“We’re not going to die. Don’t think that way.” Alec chastised him, his arms folding tightly across his chest. 

They were standing still, trying to preserve their energy as they also tried to think of what to do next. Alec glanced at Oheo who had shuffled closer to the group. He could tell he was looking at him and Alec suddenly did a double take.

Were his eyes glowing just now? He blinked a few times, the thought alone silly to him. 

Oheo looked around Alec, separating himself from the others.

“Oheo…no…it could be dangerous.” Alec said, reaching out to stop him but he’d already gotten too far from his reach. 

“I’m not going to go off looking for him.” Jace grumbled, squinting, trying to see where he had gone. 

Alec frowned, also trying to see in the dark and through the snow. His eyes were burning from the cold. 

A few minutes later and Oheo came back, beckoning them with his arm. 

After a quick shared glance, the brothers and Church moved forward. 

Jace’s frown grew into a grin as they got closer to where Oheo was taking them. 

Nestled between a few boulders and a hill, was a small entrance to a cave. 

“What do you think could be in there?” Jace asked Alec as they moved a few medium sized rocks out of the way to make it easier for Church to walk in. 

“Do you think there could be bears in there?” Alec responded, trying to keep his voice light but the question was serious. 

“Stupid bears…to be living up here where it’s always cold.” Jace shrugged, tugging on Church to enter. 

They carefully entered the cave, noticing that it was smaller than what they had expected. They could see the wall where it ended, giving them all a bit of relief that there were in fact, no bears. They could hear the faint sound of something scurrying around but it sounded small enough to not be a bother. 

“I’m going to check if there’s anything to start a fire with.” Jace said, his voice sounding much more positive and determined than it had for the last hour. 

Alec and Oheo started to unpack some of their sleeping gear silently. Alec frowned, petting Church’s nose. 

“I know boy, you’re tired. We’re going to rest here tonight.” Alec said softly, resting his forehead against his horse’s. “Come on…” Alec coaxed him as he started to help lower him to the ground. So far, Church had remained standing any time he slept. Alec knew that it was okay for him to do it but he felt that this day, much more than the others, had been far more taxing on him. 

At first, Church was difficult but once he started to lower, he caved to Alec’s will and managed to get comfortable. 

When Alec turned, he noticed that Oheo was looking at him with what he could only assume as a fond expression on his face. 

Alec felt his face heat up at that; at least, he was pretty sure that was why. If not, then it was because they were finally out of the terrible weather.

“Good find.” He said, gesturing to the small space they were in. Oheo gave him a small smile, nodding his head.

Soon after, Jace had come back in with several pieces of wood he’d found. Some of them were wet but there were a couple they could at least start with. Once the fire was going, they all felt like they could rest more.

Alec dug in their bag, grabbing some vegetables and a few pieces of meat that they could cook for dinner. They brought a hot plate with them so they could cook. They were getting shorter on their rations, considering Oheo was now with them and they had taken longer due to mishaps. 

If they were lucky, they’d make it there by the following evening. 

Quietly, the three of them had dinner and managed to keep the fire going. They couldn’t let it get too large, as the cave was small and they would risk smoking themselves out. Alec would take it rather than having to go back outside. 

Alec sat down on his blanket after packing away their dishes. Jace was sitting near him, shivering. Oheo was nearby but it was clear he was also cold. 

“We’re going to freeze in here regardless.” Jace mumbled, rubbing his hands up and down his arms.

“Remember when we were younger and Cat had had to leave us for that job?” Alec asked, watching as Jace thought about when Alec was referring to before nodding. Alec glanced over to Oheo who was listening to him. “There ended up being this freak winter storm. We were snowed it and couldn’t get any firewood. To stay warm at night, we slept in the same bed.” Jace realized where he was going with this, already beginning to stand up. 

“Say no more. Great idea.” Jace said, bringing his bedding over and laying it on Alec’s right side. “This is going to be different than when we were kids.” Jace mumbled as he threw his blanket over his legs. 

Alec rolled his eyes at him. “Don’t get any ideas.” Jace smirked at him in return.

“Oheo…you can join us if you’d like. We’ll be warmer if we huddle together.” Alec said to him, feeling his face heat up under the sudden flush on his cheeks. 

Oheo sat there, looking between Alec and Jace for a minute or so, internally debating what he wanted to do. 

Jace, getting annoyed that Alec had yet to lie down next to him, sat back up and looked at their companion. 

“Just get over here already. Alec’s going to worry if you don’t and tomorrow you’ll either be dead or ill from the cold. Let’s all try to get some sleep and then get off this damn mountain.” Jace had this way of being commanding without being a dick, which Alec was grateful for. There were many situations they’d managed to get out of due to Jace’s persuasive abilities. 

At first, Alec thought maybe Oheo was going to stay where he was just to spite Jace but then relaxed as he started to move. 

His movements were hesitant as he carefully placed his bedding down on Alec’s other side. He moved his blanket so it was on top of him, chewing on his lip. 

Alec laid down on his back, his shoulders just barely touching Jace and Oheo’s on either side of him. He pulled his blanket up as high as he could without uncovering his boot-clad feet. He began to close his eyes when Jace moved, nudging him.

“Turn over…I want to steal as much body heat from you as possible.” Jace grumbled as he started to push Alec’s side to get him to roll. 

“Seriously?” Alec complained as Jace continued pushing until he felt his body relenting before he made a conscious decision to move. 

“Absolutely. You know I hate being cold.” Jace complained, his body mimicking Alec’s as he moved. 

Alec now lay on his side, facing Oheo with Jace pressed against his back. Admittedly, he felt warmer with his brother so close even though it made him feel a little weird. They weren’t kids anymore but adults and Alec had never been so pressed against another male like this before. He felt Jace’s arm fall heavily over his waist.

Opening his eyes, he saw Oheo staring curiously at him, uncertainly flashing across his eyes. Alec gave him a small smile, hoping that it looked friendly and not creepy somehow. Although he didn’t quite smile back, Alec was sure he saw the corner of his mouth turn up a little. 

Slowly and unprompted, Oheo turned over, giving Alec his back to view. He moved carefully until he felt Alec’s chest against his back. Alec could tell he was tense and uncertain about this but was glad. He couldn’t help but admit how much warmer he felt having people on either side of him. 

0000

Waking up in the morning, Alec felt so comfortable that all he wanted to do was go back to sleep. 

As his brain started to wake up, he wondered what prompted him to wake in the first place. He had been having a great dream, although he wasn’t sure what it was about. 

His nose twitching, suddenly slightly tickled caused him to make a face. He tried to move his nose, getting it away from whatever it was touching it. He had only a brief relief from it before the mysterious substance touched it again.

Alec opened his eyes, seeing the light of the morning sun spilling into the cave. His back was a little cold so his body sought the warm in his front. He heard a contented sigh close to him, vision coming into focus. He froze, immediately.

Alec was still on the same side he had fallen asleep, but his arm had moved up, using it to pillow his head. He could feel the tingling in his fingers from the numbness. His other arm was wrapped around Oheo’s waist, holding him against his chest as if he were a child cradling his stuffed animal. The main cause for Alec to freeze was that, at some point, Oheo had turned around and was now facing Alec, though he seemed to still be asleep. 

Oheo’s head was resting on Alec’s outstretched arm, his head tucked under his chin. One of Oheo’s arms was smashed between their bodies, the other wrapped around Alec’s waist, holding him nearly as securely as Alec held him. He could feel their legs tangled up, sore from not having moved since they had melded into one. 

Alec lifted his head a little bit so Oheo’s hair would no longer be touching his nose. He was comfortable, it was true, but he also didn’t know what to do. How would Oheo react once he woke up? Would he think Alec was trying to do something to him? Would he be uncomfortable? 

Alec could feel his heart beginning to hammer against his chest as panic set in. Where was Jace? Couldn’t he start making noise to wake him up? Should he pretend to sleep and hope Oheo would wake up soon and extricate himself from Alec?

Movement startled him, causing Alec to look down, all limbs locking into place. 

Oheo looked up at Alec, the softest look on his face. Alec could see how he was still beginning to wake up and how content he looked. Their eyes met and Alec was sure he stopped breathing and time stood still.

He felt Oheo’s arm that was draped over his waist beginning to drawl away. Oheo reached up, his thin fingers moving up until they were able to make contact with Alec’s hair, brushing his bangs away from falling into his eyes. 

“Um…” Alec cleared his throat, wondering why he suddenly couldn’t speak. “M-morning.” 

Oheo smiled at him this time, the corners of is eyes crinkling. Carefully, he pulled his limbs away from Alec, sitting up. 

Alec sat up almost too quickly, his head swimming from the movement, as he looked around. Jace wasn’t in the cave.

“Jace?” Alec called out, just loud enough for him to hear if he was nearby. 

“Out here. The storm passed.” Jace yelled back before poking his head into the cave. “I thought you two were never going to wake up.” He complained before smirking devilishly at Alec who glared at him in return.

“Let’s get out of here.”

0000

The rest of the trip moving down the mountain had been pleasantly dull. Though the storm had left a blanket of snow and ice in its wake, it wasn’t coming down on them anymore. It was still cold, so they remained bundled. The trails were easier to maneuver, especially for Church, which enabled them to move faster.

“That must be it.” Jace said, pointing towards what looked like a fairly large village at the bottom. 

“It matches the description Cat gave us.” Alec agreed.

“Let’s hope Lucian still wants to welcome us with open arms.” 

“There’s only one way to find out.” Alec pulled on Church’s reigns, making their final descent. 

Twenty minutes later and they were approaching the village. 

“Do you think it’ll be like before? With weapons and an army?” Jace asked, standing closer to Alec. 

“It doesn’t look like it so far but who knows what their security looks like.” Alec was nervous as they got closer and closer. They were already passing a few cottages with cows and horses. A few kids had run past them, paying them no attention. 

“In the trees, Jace.” Alec whispered, his lips barely moving as he kept looking forward. “Arrows. Many of them.” 

As casually as he could, Jace glanced around, confirming what Alec had seen. 

“Let’s hope they don’t decide they hate us.” Jace said quietly, though his scarf was covering his mouth still. He reached up, pulling it down and pushed up his hat, revealing his face more. 

Alec mimicked him, though he had moved his scarf down earlier once they’d reached the bottom of the mountain. 

A man was walking towards them, flanked by two others, another male and a woman. The man was tall with dark skin and the confidence of a leader. It practically oozed off of him as he moved closer to them. He didn’t have to introduce himself to them, they were certain it was Lucian.

“Can we help you?” The man asked, as both parties were close enough.

“We’re looking for Lucian Greymark, Catarina Loss sent us.” Alec answered him, glancing quickly at the other two. The woman was younger, possibly Alec’s age if not a couple years younger. The other male was possibly as old as the man who was addressing them. 

The man placed his hand on his hip, the handle of a blade shining in the sunlight. “Catarina only sent two men to me, not three.” 

Oheo, who had been quiet, walking in step beside Church rather than with Alec and Jace glanced up, knowing he was talking about him. 

“My name is Alec and this is my brother Jace. On our way here, we met Oheo and he needed our help. We mean no disrespect but we had no way to contact you. We couldn’t leave him behind.” The man looked like he was sizing Alec up at the same time he was looking for any deception.

“Your physical descriptions match that of Catarina’s message.” He said, removing his hand from the hilt of the blade. He took a step closer, holding his hand out. “I’m Lucian, though I go by Luke now.” 

“Thank you…for letting us come here.” Alec nodded, accepting his hand. 

Luke smiled then and Alec just knew that he could trust this man. There was something about him that was like a beacon. 

“We can talk in private later about this situation. I must admit, I was probably as shocked as you were to learn the truth.” He said, dropping his voice for anyone who was trying to listen in. “I have made arrangements for a place for the two of you to stay. I’m fairly certain it’s large enough to accommodate your friend there. We can head there first and….” 

Alec listened to him as he spoke of hospitality, furrowing his brow when he suddenly stopped talking. Alec wondered for a moment if he was having a stroke. What was strange was that he was no longer looking at Alec, but over his shoulder. 

Turning around, Alec and Jace followed his eyes to see what was distracting him so abruptly. Oheo was standing there, petting Church, and paying no attention to them or their conversation. He had removed his hat he’d been wearing and the scarf was now dangling over his shoulders instead of wrapped around his face. 

“Are you okay?” Alec asked curiously, looking at Luke’s people, both who looked just as confused as to what was happening. 

Snapping out of it, Luke looked at the brothers, Oheo and then back to Alec. “What’s his name?” He asked, slowly, carefully.

“Oheo.” Alec explained, chewing on the inside of his cheek. 

Luke shook his head as he stepped closer, walking past the brothers. 

Oheo, noticing the attention was suddenly on him after hearing his name, turned, looking uncertain under the scrutiny. 

Alec went to take a step to put himself between Luke and Oheo but was stopped by Jace’s hand on his arm. 

Oheo pressed back into Church’s side as Luke placed his hands on his shoulders. 

“You don’t know who I am?” Luke asked, his voice, shaken, sad. 

Oheo looked over at Alec and Jace before being forced to look at Luke, shaking his head slowly. 

Luke placed his hand gently on the side of Oheo’s face. “Your name is Magnus Bane and you’ve been missing for 10 years.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What could be going on!?


	8. Chapter 8

Alec and Jace shared a look, both utterly confused at Luke’s words. Oheo seemed frozen in place, uncertain how to respond or acknowledge what he was being told. 

“Magnus?” Alec repeated the name on his lips, the name familiar somehow though he wasn’t sure why. 

Jace was the one who placed the name, his face lighting up in recognition. “Wait? THE Magnus Bane? The Sorcerer? I thought he was just a legend.” As Jace finished that sentence, his eyes fell on Alec, recalling how, not long ago, they thought warlocks were all but extinct. 

When they were young, they used to have a neighbor a few miles away who had kids their age. They would run around playing pretend. Alec and Jace would be Knights, the boy would be Magnus the Sorcerer while the girl would be the damsel in distress. Sometimes they would work together as a team and other times they would save her from the Sorcerer. 

Stories of Magnus Bane were few and far between. Truly, no one could admit to having actually ever seen him. From those claiming they’d seen him, he had been described as both male and female, dark and light skinned, bright blue eyes, liquid brown, fire red. Magnus was a hero in some tales while others claimed him to be a monster; a being that lived for centuries by now. All of a sudden, however, his name no longer left those of storyteller’s lips. He faded into some sort of mysterious nonexistence.

“Magnus…it’s me, Lucian. You must know me. We spent so much time in the Southern Cities.” Oheo seemed to be getting increasingly uncomfortable under this information, as well as everyone’s eyes on him. 

Alec, unable to take it and feeling protective of him, stepped over, gently placing his hand on Luke’s chest. “Give him some space.” 

The two who had come with Luke had also taken steps closer, anticipation seeping off of them to fight if Alec so much as looked at Luke the wrong way. 

Luke, coming out of his stupor, glanced at Alec before back at Oheo, giving a nod and stepping away. Alec moved slightly so Oheo was behind him, blocked by his larger figure from view of everyone else. 

“I know you have very little trust in me as of now, but I assure you, I’m certain he’s Magnus. No one ever knew what happened to him. We could only fear the worst had happened. Our mutual friend also knows him. She couldn’t feel his magic anymore.”

Jace and Alec just looked confused at that as if it were an obvious explanation. 

Luke looked around at some of the other villagers beginning to take interest in their conversation.

“Come. Let’s get you all set up and then we can speak in private.” 

0000

Once they reached their cottage they’d be occupying for the time being, the trio unloaded their bags, bringing them inside while one of Luke’s people took Church to their stables. They would be staying here until they had to make a move to prevent Isabelle from being forced to marry. Alec wanted to go now but he understood they weren’t ready. They had to learn how to be more tactful, become accustomed to fighting and defending. Alec needed to learn more about his family and the politics that come with it. They needed a strategy that would work, not something that would fail. He didn’t want to let everyone down by making a careless mistake due to his naivety.

Entering the cottage, it gave Jace and Alec a feeling of familiarity, reminding them of their home. It was small but it was comfortable. 

Looking around, it was obvious there were only two bedrooms, meant for the two of them. Jace went immediately to the left, going towards what he suspected was one of the bedrooms. Alec began to move to the right, making it to the doorway before pausing. He looked behind him, glancing at Oheo who stood in the middle of the room, clearly uncertain as to what to do.

“Hey…” Alec said, turning and looking back at the male. He could see the frown etched on his face; the same one that hadn’t left his face after the fear and surprise from Luke’s declaration graced his face. 

Oheo was looking at the floor but slowly let his eyes raise to meet Alec’s once he noticed in his peripheral that the taller male was coming towards him. 

“Why don’t you take this room? I can share with Jace.” He could tell Oheo wanted to protest his offer. Alec placed his hand gently on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze, hoping it was comforting, as that’s what he meant it for. “It’s fine, really. Just…if our bed is smaller than yours, don’t be surprised to wake up next to Jace. He hates not being able to stretch out.” Alec added, trying to lighten up his tension a little. Hesitantly, Oheo nodded before stepping to the side and walking towards the bedroom Alec had originally began to go towards. 

Walking into the room Jace had gone for, Alec let out a relieved sound, seeing that the bed appeared large enough for both of them to fit. Alec’s feet were most likely going to dangle off the edge of the bed due to his height, but that was the least of his concerns. Even his bed at home wasn’t quite long enough to fit his entire stature. 

Jace didn’t turn as he was in the process of unloading his clothing into a large dresser in the corner. 

“I take it we’re roommates?” Jace asked, closing the top drawer before turning and rummaging through his bag.

Alec, moving to the other side of the bed, dropped his bags onto the mattress, fumbling with the strings to open them.

“Is that a problem?” 

Jace glanced up at Alec, seeing that he was pointedly looking down at his bag, rather than him. 

“Something is weird about this whole situation.” Jace shrugged, grabbing his underwear and turning again. 

“He’s obviously freaked out. We can’t just…throw him to the wolves. He’s been hurt bad.” Alec didn’t need to repeat to Jace what he’d walked into in Oheo’s village, he had told him. “What if he’s been in some sort of trauma? What if he really is Magnus?” 

“We just happen to run into one of the most legendary sorcerers who’s turned into a gift to strangers who do good deeds?” Jace asked suspiciously. 

“Whether he’s Magnus or Oheo or someone else, he needs people he can trust.” 

“And it’s not just because he’s attractive?” Jace asked, causing Alec to drop the pair of pants in his hands. He fumbled over his limbs as he scrambled to pick them up off of the ground. 

“What? I didn’t…I don’t…Why…” Alec stammered over his words, his thoughts going into over drive as he attempted to connect coherent thoughts to sounds exiting his mouth.

“Alec.” Jace stopped what he was doing, looking at his brother seriously. “It’s okay.”

Alec stared at him, his breathing becoming more difficult as the seconds ticked on. 

“Hey…breathe. It’s okay, I’ve known…”

“Don’t. Stop...just stop.” Alec cut him off, not ready to have this conversation right now. 

Jace looked like he wanted to argue but by the way Alec was reacting, looking as if he were going to pass out where he stood, he relented. 

“Let’s just be careful, okay? You’re not just a farm boy anymore.” Jace said, lowering his voice this time, having already started turning around to put the last of his clothing away.

0000

Once they were unpacked and settled, the woman who had accompanied Luke to greet them knocked on the door. Jace answered since he had been in the small kitchen while Alec was freshening up in the bathroom. 

“I don’t think we’ve been introduced, I’m Jace.” Jace said, giving her one of his charming smiles that tended to woo any girl who was given the luxury of being the center of that smile. 

“Maia.” She said, walking past him without another look. Jace looked confused for a minute before turning and following her with his eyes. 

“Can I help you, Maia?” Jace folded his arms across his chest, leaning against the wall near the door. 

Oheo was quietly sitting on the couch near the fireplace, watching the fire dancing along the logs. 

“Luke would like him to meet our…healer. She might be able to see what’s going on with him.” She spoke about Oheo as if he was a pet rather than a person. Jace couldn’t help but take a subconscious step closer to the male. 

“What does she want to do?” Jace asked, glancing behind her as Alec entered the main room. 

Maia shrugged. “Talk to him…I guess.” 

Alec, tuning into what they were discussing, went closer to Oheo. “Only talk? Nothing else?” 

Maia rolled her eyes. “What do you think she’s going to do? Shackle him to a table and start experimenting?” She took an exasperated breath. “Just…let’s go and get this over with. Then we can start with the pleasantries.” 

Alec sighed, turning to face Oheo who was very obviously doing his best not to look at them. “We’ll be right there with you. If at any point, you don’t want to be there anymore, we’ll come back here. Okay?” 

Oheo’s jaw clenched as he debated internally what he wanted to do. He glanced up at Alec, searching his face, something Alec noticed he did often. Alec felt comfortable with it, mostly because he had nothing to hide from him. 

Alec moved out of his way as Oheo stood, looking at Maia expectantly. 

She just turned and walked out the door, leading them to a cottage in the middle of the village.

Once they entered, they realized it looked more like an infirmary of some sort. There were a few beds in the back, curtains pulled off to the side, there to move for privacy if need be. There were many bookshelves and tables, all of them covered with books and vials of various things. 

Luke was sitting on a couch, something steaming out of the cup in his hand. He stood up once they entered. Maia, nodding to Luke, turned and left.

“Please…have a seat.” Luke said, waving his arm towards the other couch across from him. A sofa chair and a coffee table finished the main space. Jace took a seat next to Luke while Alec and Oheo sat on the other couch. 

“Just a minute!” A woman’s voice called from a backroom; Alec assuming it was a bedroom. 

A woman with tan skin and medium length dark hair came out of the room, moving eloquently towards them. She was balancing several items in her arms, careful as she placed them on the coffee table and taking a seat on the chair.

“Welcome to my home. My name is Dorothea…but my friends call me Dot.” She started to say more but then closed her mouth. She looked around, seeing that they were the only ones in the room. She waved her arms, light purple wisps coming out of her hands, causing three of them to gasp in surprise.

“What is this?” Jace asked, beginning to stand up, only to be stopped by Luke’s hand on his arm. 

“It’s okay.” 

They watched in awe and fear as the purple moved closer to them, all of them leaning back until it hit them anyway. They all tensed, expecting pain but nothing happened. It went through them even, growing into what looked like a bubble around them, disappearing after all of it connected. 

“What...was that?” Jace asked, glaring at Dot before looking at Luke.

“I know who you are…Luke has told me but we are two of four who know in our village. We’d like to keep it that way.” Dot explained to them. Jace, Alec and Oheo still stared at her. She smirked. “Soundproofed the room.” 

“I suppose it’s fair to assume that Maia and the other guy who greeted us are the other two?” Alec asked.

“Yes. Alaric is his name. I trust them with my life. Only they and Dot know who I am.” Luke tried to focus on Alec or Jace while they talked but his eyes kept darting towards Oheo. 

Alec sighed, sensing how tense Oheo was next to him. It also didn’t go unnoticed how he’d gotten closer to Alec when the purple wisps appeared on her hands.

“Dot is a warlock. We can discuss our pasts while you’re here but this can’t wait. Dot…is it him?” 

Dot looked over at Oheo who’s eyes were glancing down at his hands. 

“I admit…I never had the opportunity to meet Magnus, only hear the stories. People tend to get carried away with said stories so who knows what’s true and what’s myth. I can definitely find out if he’s a warlock though.” She said, tilting her head a little in an attempt to make eye contact with him. “Could you give me your hands? Please?” 

Oheo looked at Alec, jaw clenching again. “We can trust her. We came here because of Luke and our mother trusts him. She’ll let go of your hands if you want her to, okay?” Alec glanced over his shoulder towards Dot who nodded.

“Yes, of course. Just let go of my hands if you want to stop.” 

Oheo chewed on his bottom lip but relented, holding his hands out, a small tremor moving through them. 

Dot placed her hands underneath Oheo’s palms, her thumbs moving to the top of his hands. She closed her eyes, inhaling slowly. Purple sparked from her hands again though it was blocked partially by Oheo’s hands. 

Alec and Jace leaned in closer as they watched her face, watching as she concentrated. Oheo was mesmerized by the color underneath his hands, trying to feel any pain but not feeling anything. 

It was unnerving, the quietness that befell the group as they watched so when Dot gasped, they all jumped, including Luke.

“What? What is it?” Dot’s eyes were welling in tears as she lowered her hands. Oheo looked at her with concern and fear spreading on his face.

“You poor, poor dear.” Dot said, her voice shaking. She blinked quickly several times, eyes shifting towards Luke. “I can help a little but…it’s complicated. I’m going to need help.” Luke and Dot stared at each other, something Alec recognized he and Jace did; speaking without having to say a word.

“What’s complicated? What’s going on?” Alec asked, glancing over at Oheo who watched their exchange. 

Luke nodded. “We’ll get help. What can you do?” 

Dot took a quiet, calming breath. “There are spells on you. Considering the severity of these, I’d say they’re more like a curse. I can’t read the signature of the magic but I do know they’re from one person.” 

Oheo still looked uneasy, but there was a slight spark of clarity too. 

“You can’t communicate, at least not properly, because of a spell. I can help you with that.” Dot smiled warmly and Oheo felt drawn into it. He gave her a nod, closing his eyes. Dot reached up, placing her hands on either side of his neck. She began speaking quietly but neither Jace nor Alec could make out the words. It wasn’t until she got a little louder that they realized she wasn’t speaking a language they understood. 

A sharp gasp startled them, this response becoming all too familiar to them in such a short amount of time, looking at the one who made the sound. Dot rose her eyebrow, a small smile growing on her face.

Oheo cleared his throat, his cheeks tinting a little. “T-thank you.” Alec and Jace’s eyes grew as they heard him speak for the first time. It was harsh, it sounded painful even but pleasant. Silky smooth. 

“Do you have anything for him to drink? How long has it been since you’ve last spoke?” Alec asked, first to Dot then to Oheo. 

Oheo turned to look at Alec as Dot waved her arms around, purple in his line of sight. 

“I’m not sure.” Oheo said after working it out himself how to speak properly. 

Dot placed a mug in Oheo’s hands. He smiled appreciatively at her, lifting it to take a sip. 

“Why would someone do that to him? In the village we met him in, they said he never spoke and that he also couldn’t write but that he’s literate and can read.” Alec explained, feeling terrible for him. 

“Hopefully we’ll be able to ask him once Catarina is here.” Luke said, causing Jace to choke on the drink Dot had also given him and Alec. Alec hadn’t noticed his sitting in front of him on the coffee table.

“What? Absolutely not. She’s not coming here. It’s not safe.” Alec said in place of Jace who was forcing himself to breathe normally. 

“I understand that Catarina told you some but that it would be my job to help fill in more of the blanks in your lives. Catarina is very powerful and she will be able to help him where Dot can’t… no offense.” Luke explained.

“None taken.” Dot looked at Oheo again who was staring at her. 

“What…else?” He asked softly. 

“Inhibition. I would guess if there was something you refused to do, you eventually relent. Soundless. They made it impossible for you to communicate. These…” She reached down, gently taking one of his wrists in her hand, a finger on her other hand trailing over the bracelet. She looked at Luke, uncertain whether to speak or not. Luke gave her a nod.

“Tell me...please.” Oheo asked softly, grabbing her attention away from the male.

“There’s a block in your memory. It…it doesn’t feel like a complete wipe but…it’s made it difficult for you to draw from your past because you’re not quite sure what it is. I would wager the inhibition would affect you if you ever tried to think back to your earlier life. And…” She frowned, glancing at his wrist again. “These are blocking your ability to tap into your magic. If you could get to it, I’m certain you’d have been able to break out of all of this that’s happened to you.” 

Oheo gave a small nod. Alec remembered when he had motioned to them days ago. 

“Did you know you have magic?” Alec asked him.

Oheo looked confused before shrugging. “I knew…these were important.” He said, his voice still slow and rough.

“I think I have a spell to remove the Inhibition but Catarina will need to help you with your memory. I think it will take both of us to remove those.” She gestured to the bracelets. “But…Luke is right. You are Magnus Bane. That is your name. I can see it in you.” 

Oheo chewed on his lip, searching in vain to find that name in his mind. 

“Do you want us to call you that? Magnus?” Alec asked, not sure what he would want. 

He sighed, nodding. “Yes. Please.” 

Luke clapped his hands, rubbing them together. 

“I think this is enough for one evening. I’m going to contact Cat. I told her I would anyways once you arrived. Why don’t we have dinner and call it an early night? We can discuss our plans in the morning.” Alec and Jace nodded as the three of them stood up. Dot began to stand as well before Magnus grabbed her wrist gently. 

“Inhibition?” 

Dot smiled warmly at him. “You get dinner with these two. I’ll work on the cure and bring it over once I’m done. I promise.” Magnus nodded, standing as well.

0000

Despite being able to talk now, Oheo...Magnus, Alec needed to remember that mentally, didn’t speak much. He seemed lost in thought as they ate beef stew quietly. 

As promised, Dot came by two hours later with a small vial in her hand. “Dump this in your tea, mix it in well and then drink it. I’m certain you’ll find it easier to make decisions and say anything you want.” Magnus thanked her, eager to drink it. 

Jace, sensing it was time for him to leave the room, bid them goodnight. 

Alec cleaned up their dishes, walking slowly towards the couch, watching as Magnus sipped the drink eagerly, not caring that he was most likely burning his mouth.

“Are you okay?” Alec asked, feeling a little awkward. 

Magnus glanced up at him, the fire from the fireplace dancing in his eyes.  
“I’m not sure.” He admitted, shoulders slouching. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

Magnus laughed quietly at what he said. “Was that a joke?” 

Alec felt his face heat up, realizing how it may have sounded. “No! No…I just…I want to make sure you’re okay. I know what it’s like to have your entire life turn upside down.” 

Magnus looked at Alec curiously. Alec, feeling like he should sit, came over and sat down next to him.

“My whole life moved simply, safely. Suddenly, I’ve been thrust into something that I’m not sure I’ll be able to navigate. It’s…terrifying.” Alec admitted, feeling a small weight leave his chest at the admission. 

“My life…as I’ve known it, has not been entirely pleasant. I can only…” He cleared his throat, considering this had been the most he’d spoken in a long time. Sadly, he couldn’t remember the last time he had been able to speak. “Only imagine how terrible it must have been prior.” 

Alec frowned, his brow furrowing. “What do you mean? You can’t know that.” 

“Why else…would I be cursed?” Alec bit his lip, wishing he had an answer. 

“I’ve heard stories of The Magnificent Magnus Bane.” Magnus raised his eyebrows while Alec chuckled. “According to the stories, you named yourself. Anyway, though some of the stories might be untrue or stretched, Magnus sounded like a good man. He helped many people. Do you know who Catarina is?” 

Magnus closed his eyes, massaging his temples with his fingers. “Her name is familiar. It’s so close to my mind but…” He frowned. “I can’t see past it.” 

Alec placed his hand on his forearm. “It’ll be okay. Catarina and Dot will help you. Jace and I will help too, in whatever capacity we can.” 

Magnus smiled at him. “Thank you, Alexander. For everything thus far.”

“Alexander?” Alec asked, his cheeks warming.

“Alec is short for something, no?” 

Alec nodded. “You’re right…no one ever calls me that…at least, no one has for a while.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“No…it’s okay. I don’t mind it. Really.” 

Magnus finished the drink, standing up. “It’s been a long day. I’m going to attempt sleep. Are you alright out here?” 

Alec stood up, nodding. “I’m okay. I’ll just head to bed myself.” Alec moved towards the bedroom, the sound of snoring coming from the room. “Goodnight, Magnus.” Alec went into the room.

“Goodnight Alexander.” Magnus whispered, disappearing into the room he was staying in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Accepting any & all feedback! Is it okay? Kinda meh? Kinda interesting? Let me know!


	9. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to let you know that this story hasn't been abandoned. I REALLY want to update it but I'm trying to finish my other story first since they're both long-ish. I really hope I'll get to this one soon. I miss it and have a ton of ideas to bring forth to it.

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think! I have a bunch of random scenes that have popped in my head and they’ve been dying to come out! I don’t have all the pieces yet but I’m excited to get this going. 
> 
> Sadly there will be no Max in this story.


End file.
